Revengeful Resistance
by TheGameNguyener
Summary: Catastrophe strikes Mobius when a hero has fallen to his enemy, who then took control of most of the world. Taking back his home is a priority. Seeking payback is a choice. But it seems to become an objective for Sonic after the torture he suffered from Eggman. However, it's more towards avenging his best friend. And he's not the only one who has reprisal on his mind.
1. Ch 1: Goals in Mind

_A/N:_ _Welcome to my first story exclusively under the Sonic category, specifically a rewritten work of Sonic Forces (way to join the bandwagon 3 months late, TGN). Plus, this is out of the blue since I'm still not done with my first story, Hidden Bravery, and I'm nowhere close to finishing my second work, New Brotherhood. But this idea has been lingering on my mind for so long that I had the urge to start writing this._

 _Before we start, let me explain that I am **not** a huge Sonic fan, so to speak, but I do like some of the characters. However, I did not like Forces, yet I'm writing a fanfiction based off it. If you **seriously** want to know why I'm doing this, please PM me. I'm not going to openly address this here because some of you probably won't care about my opinion._

 _Like NB, this story will be randomly updated with no defined schedule. Don't expect frequent uploads; I've reserved that for HB._

 _Any specific notes or references are explained in the PCN (Post-Chapter Notes) at the bottom of the page. They're denoted by numbers in parentheses in bold, italicized font. Ex.- **(1)**_

 _And after that long (unnecessary) intro, let's get right into it. It's time for the Revengeful Resistance to commence._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic and other related content in this field is strictly owned by Sega. I don't own any rights to them or Forces._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:** Goals in Mind

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Yellow rays of sun gleamed through the white clouds that slowly floated by in the light blue sky. This region of South Island boasted so many marvelous sights. Tall trees, beautiful cascades, and of course, the green hills.

The temperature in this zone was fairly mild, but a slight breeze provided the cool feeling to whisk on one's face. Ah, yes. This was such a fantastic day. A fantastic day to just relax, take a vacation, or simply go for a run. The last of these activities has been done by a certain someone regardless of the weather. Through rain or snow, hot or cold, against the wind or through a neutral environment, he always takes pride in his asset by doing one of his favorite things.

Rushing through the many winding hills was the fastest creature on the planet. Or arguably, the entire universe. His blue quills behind his head bounced from his quick pace. His feet, consisting of socks and his traditional red sneakers, was a blur, circulating in quick motion through loop-de-loops and corkscrews without falling off. Arms were stretched out towards his posterior end, a typical gesture whenever he blazed at high speed.

Sonic the Hedgehog always enjoyed running every day. He's always eager to do something. He wasn't the kind of guy to laze around and do nothing. Two words to that: Bor-ing. He desired thrills in his life. His positive attitude was another usual trait of his personality. Albeit arrogant at times, it was to express his excitement. He usually showed off his signature smile and occasionally added a wink and a thumbs-up.

You'd expect this would be him right now. Well, guess again.

Sonic's emerald eyes were narrowed as his peach-colored muzzle maintained a frown. Usually, this expression was found for various reasons. Failing to win a battle (or race if he's facing someone fast), having his friends being threatened, pacing at a slow rate, losing his ability to run, swimming in water, as well as other factors that could a trigger a negative response out of him.

There was another legitimate reason why he was upset.

You might be wondering, what did the fat Egghead do this time? What sort of evil plot was he devising? (Did you assume his cause for distress?) Well, let's get straight to the main point.

A few days ago, his little buddy, Tails, went off to run a personal errand. Known to be a reliable mechanic, pilot, strategist, and of course, Sonic's best friend and brother, he always idolized the Blue Blur while said hero can rely on him for support in any tough situation. Anyways, on that day, he never returned to their shared home in the Mystic Ruins. When he tried contacting him on his communicator, all he received was a voicemail of his innocent, intellectual voice. It was completely off for him considering Tails always answered his calls within the first ring. That was more than enough for Sonic to enter search mode, suspecting that his friend was in trouble.

The teenage hedgehog's initial perception was that the doctor kidnapped him as a hostage or ransom so he could coax his way to retrieving the seven Chaos Emeralds, an ultimate collection of wondrous gems with mysterious, yet unlimited powers to the one who takes possession of them. He first infiltrated Eggman's island base, but he didn't find a trace, not even a piece of fur, of the kitsune. All he got was an angered Eggman, his temper _way_ over easy, before he fled away. He ventured high and low to other locations he and Tails have been to.

Sadly, he had no luck. Because of that, he was frustrated.

Sonic was extremely desperate to find his pal. He refused to believe that he was dead. Hell, he _loathed_ any idea of Tails being hurt or injured, even if it was from minimal torture.

To think that Tails was harmed made Sonic irate. To think that he was deceased on the other hand... the thought made him shudder.

The best he hoped for, out of all the bad outcomes, was him being captured. It meant that he was still alive, giving him some breathing room. But anything was possible, and he hated to admit that.

If in the case he _was_ kidnapped, who, besides Eggman, would've taken him? Sonic's made tons of enemies in his past adventures, ranging from his metal doppelganger, Chaos, and Zavok of the Deadly Six. The last of these foes had a somewhat strong connection to the fox, considering the red Zeti planned to turn him into a robot after his team failed to catch Sonic. At one point, he thought Shadow had something to do with his disappearance. Then again, the black counterpart didn't know the fox too well, other than the belief that he wasn't strong as Sonic and especially not as tough as him. But he wasn't always considered an adversary to the Blue Blur. Just a hedgehog who tested his speed and strength to show how powerful he was. Or what if there was some new evil to threaten Sonic, yet have similar intentions to use his friend as bait to get what they want?

He didn't have the answers to those questions. Neither do his friends. In fact, he hasn't heard from them since. The only thing that ran in his mind was a single goal.

Find Tails, and fast.

 _"I know you're out there, bro. I just don't know where. But I'm gonna find you, one way or another. Just please hang on."_

He zipped at a faster speed as he passed a huge waterfall. After minutes of nonstop hunting, Sonic continued to lose his patience. He couldn't give up. He wouldn't dare to give up that quickly. He's Sonic! He's made tons of promises, but none were as major as his personal goal, which was to protect Tails at all costs. If that vow was broken, he'd fail himself, not as a hero, but as a brother.

He didn't pay attention to where he was until he stopped at the edge of a mountain cliff. He could see nothing but the same usual landscape whenever he ran through the green hills. He sighed heavily as the sky turned dark, with the sun completely gone and a half crescent moon lighting up the night.

"Tails, where are you?" he said to himself out loud.

Another day, another letdown. Sonic closed his eyes, slightly groaned, and clenched a fist.

He was not that susceptible to being stressed or worried. When it involves his little brother though, it was a different story. Those bad feelings lingered in his heart, pondering if the two-tailed fox was truly okay. Sonic returned to his house in the Mystic Ruins. He'd have to try again tomorrow.

* * *

 _Location: ?_

A dark, mysterious, yet ominous lab featured tens of glass cylinders containing DNA structure-like materials inside. They were placed all over the area, covering the majority of the room. A man with black boots walked past several of them, including one where one of his robot henchmen was polishing. The other was busy typing on a computer beside him.

"Sonic. How I hate him. And all of that loathing has been focused into this invincible instrument of destruction."

The man clenched his hands with fury, reminiscing all of his attempts of trying to take over the world and being trounced by a blue, fast, and most annoyingly, _cocky_ creature who was known for his speed and love for action.

"Every defeat, every humiliation at the hedgehog's hands will be returned a thousandfold by my unstoppable creation."

He pushed aside the yellow robot who was cleaning the outer glass and stared at the floating specimen inside. It was a figure, with gloves, a mask, and a pyramidal stone attached to its chest.

"This is my dream come true. With this invention, I can expand the Eggman Empire across the globe and conquer the world. Mwa-hahaha!"

With the doctor laughing maniacally, the red underling peeked to the side of the computer to see his friend dangling in midair. "The boss means business this time!" Orbot expressed a hint of anxiety.

"Uh-huh," Cubot groaned, agreeing with him.

They both glanced at the dark figure. The stone on his body glimmered with a strong tint of red. A yellow pupil was visible from the eyehole of the mask. And on the backside was a very unique tail.

"Oh, Sonic... If only you knew what I've been planning this whole time. For sure, I know I'll conquer every bit of land to my advantage. And I certainly know there's _no_ way you can beat me. Especially with him doing all the necessary work to achieve my domination. Get ready to run, Sonic! That is, when you'll be running into your eventual demise! HAHAHAHA!"

Cubot twisted his head to get a view of Orbot's concerned face. Albeit they're under Eggman's command, they were not sure if their leader has gone insane or has been that way from the get-go. Either way, they couldn't help but peer at the entity inside the capsule again. **_(1)_**

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I find it to be a challenge for me to write something like this, because, to reiterate, I don't have a lot of experience with Sonic and the whole series. But I would highly appreciate it if I receive some feedback on what you think of this introduction, what I could improve/fix, if something is canon and I described it incorrectly, or anything else to make my writing better. (I only accept constructive criticism, not harsh comments.)_

 _Thanks for taking the time to read! If you are interested in this story at all, please hit the follow/favorite button for future updates. Leave a review for any of the reasons I mentioned above, and I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of Revengeful Resistance! Until we meet again in Ch. 2, this is TheGameNguyener (TGN), signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _The last two paragraphs were additional on my part. Everything prior to the ending (in Eggman's cutscene) is found in the introduction of the game._


	2. Ch 2: Seeing Red

_A/N:_ _Some dialogue is taken from the actual game while I added/restructured some lines to expand upon these interactions. Plus, the incoming fight scene that was shown after the first level, I revised that, too. Of course, it's not going to be exactly the same as it is found in the game. It's a rewritten work, so there will be some changes and new things from my writing._

 _Fair warning, the ending is terribly graphic. Read at your own discretion._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I don't own anything related to Sonic at all. That belongs to Sega. This rewritten story is the only thing I take credit for._

* * *

 **Chapter 2:** Seeing Red

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

One week. It's now been one week since Sonic last saw Tails. And to this day, he's still missing in action. Or as the latter would call it, MIA.

"Urgh, I'm getting sick of searching these places over and over again."

He's checked Green Hill. He flew to West Side Island, the dreaded place that ruined a good chunk of Tails' childhood. He's been to Eggman's lair. He visited Station Square. He even traveled to the beach, avoiding the water at all costs. But no matter where he went, no matter how many times he went through every conceivable location, Tails was nowhere to be found. With confusion, anger, and concern building up inside him, the last of which put him on edge when it usually doesn't, he needed to take another break.

Not only that, but he realized that Green Hill has undergone some landscape changes. From miles away, he saw sand dunes and all sorts of things that are typically found in a desert. It struck him as odd considering this transformation didn't appear yesterday or beforehand. Green Hill was exactly the same since he was searching for the yellow fox. Then all of a sudden, it's gotten a makeover!

The hedgehog didn't know what to do or think at this point. He could only wonder how this even happened. And of course, where his friend was. He also pondered if Knuckles, Amy, and the others have heard about the news.

Just then, his ears wiggled from a sound he definitely knew. And it made his heart leap with anticipation.

For the first time in a week, his communicator played a ringtone, and he tapped it instantly. To add to his excitement, a voice spoke to him, one that was _way_ too familiar to him.

"Sonic, do you read me?"

"Tails!" Sonic smiled, feeling reassured. "Man, where have you been?! I know you said you had to leave to get some parts for the Tornado and whatnot. But you haven't returned home since! And not only that, it's been a week since I even got in touch with you!"

"I apologize for not answering, Sonic. I was so focused on finding the parts that I got too distracted. I've been traveling to find this one piece I couldn't find in Station Square or anywhere else."

"At least I know you're safe and alive."

"Alive, yes. But I can't say that I'm safe."

Dread started to fill Sonic's mind. "Why?"

"You wouldn't believe what just happened."

"What's up, buddy?"

There was an explosion in the background. Tons of screams were heard on Tails' end.

"What the heck was that?!"

"To answer your first question, I'm in a city adjacent near Green Hill, not Station Square to be specific. And it's being attacked by-"

"Let me guess, Egghead?"

" _Sigh_ , you barely let me finish my sentences."

"Can you at least answer my question?"

Sonic perceived another sigh. "Yes. Eggman's here. As for that noise, over half the urban center has been destroyed, the townspeople are panicking, and I've been trying to stall these robots he's been sending out. WHOA!"

Although he couldn't see what Tails was in the middle of, he couldn't help but worry. "What's going on there?!"

"I just evaded some lasers! Ugh, get away!" Tails managed to knock out a pair of small robots with his signature features. "I'm still fighting these mechs to prevent further destruction. But Eggman keeps distributing more. It's an endless army, for Chaos' sake." A yelp came from him.

"Tails! You're not hurt, are you?!"

"No... Just another close call..." he wheezed. "His forces are still surging into the city. I don't know how long I can last against these guys! I need you here now, Sonic!"

"Alright! Hold on, Tails! I'm on my way!"

"I'm sending you the coordinates of my location. I'm in the square past the Red Gate Bridge."

"Gotcha! See ya in a flash!" Sonic sped off into the Lost Valley of Green Hill, eager to finally reunite with his buddy. At the same time though, he was entering another dangerous situation where he was in trouble and his enemy was involved.

But since it also included high speed thrills and kicking robots' butts, Sonic was more than pumped up.

He dashed his way past some speed ramps and over the green terrain. He spin dashed into several Egg Pawns along the path.

"I don't have time to lose. Better kick things up a notch!"

Boosting his way up to higher ground, he collected some rings to go even faster and become stronger to deal damage to the upcoming foes. Along the way, he made a few critical mistakes that cost him all his rings to spew out in a circle or in different directions. But he easily recouped himself as he pushed forward.

At one point, he dashed up a slope and jumped from bumper to bumper. As he glided in the air, he reached the desert regions of Green Hill. Something from the background caught his eye. It was a massive, light blue worm, swarming through the sand's surface.

"Man! Look at the size of that thing!" he yelled to himself. "Guess all kinds of things show up when your neighborhood turns into a desert. Clean-up's gonna be a chore."

Rolling his eyes at the thought, he made his way to the next section, something reminiscent to the old days for him. Crossing wooden log bridges, flying over moving platforms, hopping over spikes, and rushing through sunflowers and grass under the radiant, yellow sun. It was like his first adventure all over again with some slight variation.

As he boosted through the sky, he couldn't help but point out the obvious. "There's sand everywhere! Green Hill's looking a lot more like Sand Hill right now."

He fell onto some lower land where a ton of sand was falling. He resumed his running as the gritty grains leapt from the edges of his red kicks. In the prairie-like domain, he dashed up a large loop-de-loop and attacked some more robotic minions.

"Man, this place is a wreck. Thanks, Eggman. One of my favorite spots is all ruined," he groaned.

He made his way to a long, spiral bridge that was tilted at an angle and around a large rock mountain.

"This is it for Green Hill, so the city must be close. And that means I'm closer to Tails. Let's get ready for some action! I'll be there soon, buddy!"

He made his way to the last set of Egg Pawns before rampaging them with consecutive spin dashes. Afterwards, he reached the outer limits. All that was left was to find his little buddy and stop Eggman, just like every other adventure. What's the worst that could happen?

...

...

...

...Oh, wait.

* * *

 _Location: Red Gate City **(1)**_

"Urgh! Yah! Aah!"

Grunts and yells came from Tails as he was doing everything in his power to protect the innocent public from the robot army. Using a wrench in his hands and his trustworthy tails, he slashed the Pawns and disabled half of the underlings that were harassing the remaining creatures who haven't evacuated yet. While huddling near a wall, they watched how heroic and brave Tails looked. The fox was prideful to express those traits, thanks to his older bro. He's gotten tougher, stronger, but also more sarcastic like him. Just goes to show how people can be influenced by simply imitating others. From Tails' perspective, it's helped him become courageous to defend himself compared to when he was a four-year old, vulnerable to bullies and all sorts of danger.

He penetrated another Egg Pawn through its middle core. As he pulled out the wrench, the open-end side was completely bent, distorting its form.

"So much for the twenty rings I spent on this."

He set it aside in his tails and focused on his alternative fighting techniques. He performed some of his own spin dashes to avoid directly punching them with his fragile hands. And of course, his namesakes were living up to him. They have proven to be a valuable asset to him ever since Sonic was first impressed by his unique trait. Not only could they spin to propel him like a helicopter and fly, but they were his secondary battle weapons, behind his inventions, of course. Plus, the wrench stuffed inside was still durable to induce some destruction.

Unfortunately, as he endured the long, arduous battles, his stamina levels were on the low. Sweat dripped down his bangs, his white chest fur was ungroomed and tarred with oil that dried up, and his shoes started to get worn out. There were a few traces of red over his body, too.

"Come on, Sonic," Tails was catching his breath. "Where are you?"

"Do you really think that persistent hedgehog will suddenly come here and ruin my plans?"

The kitsune looked up and glared at the source of the voice. "Eggman..." he hissed through clenched teeth.

"What's the matter, fox boy? Afraid that Sonic can't save you or this pathetic city now?"

"He will come here, and he's gonna beat you like he always does!"

"You've got a lot of confidence in him. But what neither of you will expect is my secret weapon that will finally defeat him!"

"Another bad ray gun?"

Eggman tried to secrete his negative reaction. "Not this time. But I'm more than confident that I'm in good hands to finish that cocky hedgehog."

Tails' ears perked at the sound of the townspeople screaming for help. He turned around to see more Egg Pawns, cornering them. Without any time to run away, one came from the side to grasp his tails.

"Ahhh! Hey! Let me go!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Eggman laughed.

A pair of red shoes landed on top of a building as the individual saw the scene below him. He quickly jumped over to the enemies.

"Tails!"

A ball of blue destroyed the robot holding onto the vulpine. He set off a chain reaction of spin dashes to terminate three more on the field. Afterwards, he ran right at another set, destroyed them in his ball form, leaped in the air once more, and smashed the final one with his feet. After dusting off his shoulders, he grinned and gave a thumbs-up to the relieved crowd cheering for him.

"Is everyone okay?"

A couple of head nods and a 'thank you' were given.

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog turned around and widened his smile at the sight of his brother.

"Tails!" he held a hand for a high five. "Thank goodness you're alright."

"I am, and so are they, thanks to you. Cutting it kind of close, though, pal," Tails winked.

"No problem, buddy. That's pretty much how I roll. Now go ahead and help them vacate. I'll settle it from here."

His partner nodded as he ran over to the folks, gesturing them to escape through one of the nearby alleys. The Blue Blur looked at him with admiration. Before he stepped in, Sonic barely managed to see him fight those robots without a lot of trouble. Despite him getting caught by one of them at the end, Tails showed how reliable he can be without his help.

Sonic, now focusing on the main problem, turned over to the doctor in his Egg Mobile. "Okay, let's finish this, Eggman!"

"No, Sonic. It will be your finish," he declared. "Behold the power of my ultimate masterpiece!"

The hedgehog shrugged, ran up to him, and curled into a ball. Before he could hit the mad scientist, a dark sphere bashed him. Sonic slid backwards, catching his fall. While Tails let the people run safely from Eggman, he turned back to Sonic who was surprised at what was in front of him.

"Shadow! It's you?"

The black hedgehog stood up without saying a word. He glared at his opponent, crossing his arms. For some reason, there were red sparks emitting from his fur.

Then, another intruder entered the square.

"Zavok?!"

The red Zeti who once kidnapped Tails landed on Shadow's left. Similar to him, Zavok also had red glitches.

In comes another foe.

"Metal?!"

His robot duplicate landed to the right of the black hedgehog. He, too, exhibited sparks while the red eyes lit up from the dark sclera.

Enter enemy number four.

"Chaos!"

The water creature who once absorbed the powers of the Emeralds and flooded Station Square was back. He was only in his basic form though, as Chaos 0. Like the first three, more red sparks were found all over his body.

That _still_ wasn't all of them.

Sonic recovered himself before he saw a fifth creature float down gradually. With a reddish-purple essence flowing from his body, he settled in front of the quartet of bad guys. From the back, the dark creature had unique sneakers and a long, bushy tail with a few white tips protruding at the end. Even the red glitch effects radiated from his physique.

"Heh, you sure did set up a nice, evil reunion, huh, Eggman? Who's the newbie?"

The doctor didn't answer. He smirked behind his long, bushy mustache.

Sonic shrugged it off and gave a thumbs-up to himself. "No biggie! I can take this guy on like the rest of them!"

He quickly dashed forward at the entity. To his surprise though, he sidestepped before he could make contact with him. Sonic stopped when he zipped past Shadow and Metal.

"Huh?" he whispered.

Tails' eyes widened. "What? How... How did he do that? No one's ever dodged Sonic like that before!"

The dark figure rose to the air and shot a laser, to which Sonic barely evaded. He tried to spin dash him, but the adversary sent him flying into the air. Later, he floated above to send him straight into a facade. The crushing impact made him fall as some stone broke off the archway.

"Hey! You leave Sonic alone!" the fox shouted. He didn't want to stand in the background as a bystander. He wanted to help his friend, as much as Sonic didn't want him to in the case he could get hurt or worse.

Tails desperately searched his surroundings for anything to fight with since his wrench was not in great shape. Grabbing a broken wooden plank, he ran forward towards Metal and Shadow. He managed to get their attention, his narrowed eyes asking for a duel. **_(2)_**

Meanwhile, the strange creature shot more lasers at Sonic, none of which hit him. However, Zavok darted at him and threw a fist. To Sonic's relief, he blocked it so he wouldn't fall backward. Sonic was slightly surprised. He felt rather stronger than the last time he faced the stocky Zeti.

Pushing the thought aside, he ran towards the red and black animal. He jumped at him for a spin dash, but he missed as the enemy effortlessly escaped. Sonic barely ducked when he saw Chaos flying right at him. After landing, Sonic attempted to rush at the dark foe once more. But the water beast somehow blocked him.

"Hey! What are you? How are you doing- Ugh!" Sonic got kicked away by the same mysterious being as he slid face first on the concrete.

"Nice! You're doing excellent!" Eggman praised his creation while clenching a fist.

Sonic slowly got up and blinked a few times to regain his composure. Out of the corner of his eye, he witnessed Tails fighting the robot and the Ultimate Lifeform. He whacked the splintered wood on Metal's back while swaying his tails to defend himself from Shadow. A few punches and kicks were thrown, but the eight-year old was faring much better against them than he was versus Chaos, Zavok, and... whoever the hell this monster was.

"Tails! Can you get a read on this guy? I need to know what's up with him!"

"Urgh!" he flipped backwards to avoid a laser from Metal's chest. "I wish I could, Sonic! But I don't have my Miles Electric with me!"

The red Zeti was about to punch Sonic again until he obstructed it with his hands, pushing against his fist. "Then just get out of here quickly and find shelter! I don't want to risk you getting injured, especially from this jerk!" Sonic shouted as he was holding him off.

Tails ducked when Shadow almost implemented a spin dash on him. He hopped backwards when Metal sent more lasers his way. "What?! No way am I leaving you here alone!"

"Just do what I say, Tails!"

"I'm your best friend and sidekick. But more importantly, your brother! I'm not backing away just to let you get hurt!"

"That's the same way I feel about you!" Sonic finally pushed Zavok away. He leaned back when the dark entity nearly slammed him from above. He back flipped away but was sent flying a third time. Crashing into the wall behind him, he didn't have time to get up nor fall to the ground. Sonic was launched so high that every enemy had an open opportunity to thump at least one hit on the defenseless hero.

Tails was too stunned to see his friend being bruised to a pulp. It was completely different and much darker than any other fight Sonic's been a part of.

A feeling of rage burst in his heart.

The fox flew over to Metal and Shadow, whose backs were facing him. He wanted to execute some punches and tail whips as retaliation, but Zavok interfered. With little to no reaction time, he couldn't escape as his path was hindered. The Zeti punched the poor fox in the forehead and was sent back twenty feet before Chaos caught him in his clutch.

At the same time, the glowing fiend delivered tons of more hits and punches to thrust Sonic downwards onto the stony surface. It was unbelievable. The pain was coursing through his blood and body. He felt weak and vanquished for the first time in... forever. Sonic was shaking as if he was fragile. His arms and legs couldn't bear to help him stand. His eyelids were droopy. He blinked repeatedly and grappled to keep them open. He never thought it would come to this.

Then, things got even worse.

"SONIC!"

He sluggishly tilted his head to the right. His eyesight was hardly lucid. He could barely perceive a dirty sneer from Eggman. It was what's in front of the doctor that shook him though.

His little buddy was being restrained by Chaos and Zavok. Shadow and Metal sauntered up to the crying fox. Sonic wished he could open his eyes wide and stare in shock. Or narrow them at the horrible sight. Or yell his friend's name loudly. But the lack of energy prevented him, and he could only stare at Tails struggling to survive, unable to free himself.

He turned to see Shadow holding something. It was the wrench Tails used to fight the Egg Pawns. But why was he holding...

Wait, Shadow wouldn't... Would he?

 _"Oh, god, no... Please, no..."_

"Sonic, I did say that this would be your finish, which seems to ring true. Now, the same will be said for your pathetic, little helper," Eggman chuckled.

 _"He's not... p-pathetic... He's-"_

"SONIC! HELP!"

His eyes shot back and forth between Eggman and the two-tailed kit.

"Do it." The command was directed at Shadow.

 _"W-What is he-"_

"It's time to end this once and for all! I've finally defeated you, Sonic! Read it and weep!"

Incoherent words were registered in his head, but they wouldn't come out of his mouth. He couldn't say anything.

"NOOO! SONIII-"

Tails wasn't able to say his name the whole way through. Sonic looked back at the fox.

And this time, his eyes enlarged.

What he saw was far worse than Tails being abused.

He was seeing red.

That is... _red liquid_.

 ** _On Tails' body._**

"N-N-NOOO!" That was the only phrase Sonic could muster.

Shadow, gripping the broken wrench, pulled it out of the fox's stomach. Chaos and Zavok tossed him harmfully, throwing him to the rubble like a trash bag. Metal had the audacity to kick his leg, checking to see if he was still alive.

His beaten body didn't move once.

Sonic quivered with resentment, devastation, and most of all, regret. He was whitewashed by his lifelong enemy. He got ruined by some unusual figure. Somehow, he was faster than him, although he didn't want to admit it. But the worst part that took place was seeing his little buddy perish.

His half-lidded eyes shifted over. His right hand jittered as his nerves felt numb. Even the slightest twitch of his fingers was an indication that he couldn't move. The villain, who somehow bested him, descended in front of Sonic. His shoes were the last things he noticed before his vision faded into darkness.

It was the day that marked the surprising defeat of the Inseparable Duo.

To Eggman, it was the day his most hated rival finally took the fall.

 _"SONIC!"_

To the blue hedgehog, it was the day he let his best friend down.

 _"Tails... Forgive me..."_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Take the chapter title figuratively, literally, or both. Call me an idiot, a heartless person, or both as well. All I can say is to continue reading whenever I post a new upload. Maybe something will catch you off guard or enlighten you in this dark, twisted tale. But honestly, did you expect much from me, given from the description I wrote for this fanfic?_

 _Nevertheless, it's been said and done. Sonic is defeated, Tails is gone, and Eggman is onto the next phase of world domination. Is there any hope for Mobius and their population?_

 _Please leave a review to let me know how I did or to fix any mistakes I've made. Hit the follow/favorite button to catch up on future updates. And until we meet again, I'll see you all in Ch. 3 of Revengeful Resistance. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _The city in Sonic Forces didn't have an official name, so I made it up based on one of the landmarks, the Red Gate Bridge. The Wiki page states that it is referred to as the 'Ruined City' in the mobile game, SF: Speed Battle. But I think both names were unoriginal._

 ** _(2):_** _There is a legitimate reason why I redeveloped Tails' role in this cutscene._ _(It's more detailed than how I worded it in the A/N's.)_


	3. Ch 3: In Comes the Rookie

_A/N:_ _Pretty ironic how I said updates won't be frequent for this fanfic, and this is the third chapter I posted in less than two weeks. Whatever. At least it means you get to read more of RR._

 _But as the chapter title implies, the custom avatar will be introduced. However, I'll be taking a different approach to give him a backstory. Not only that, but it will be written in a first-person perspective, something I haven't done before, not even in my other two stories. Hopefully it'll sound interesting for you guys to become attached to this character. It will be found in the middle of this page. Also, explicit language is included here. So without further ado..._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic and all other rights are owned by Sega. My custom character and this revised plot are the only things I take credit for._

* * *

 **Chapter 3:** In Comes the Rookie

With the announcement that Sonic was defeated, and Tails was deceased, Eggman's army quickly took over. Throughout the course of six gruesome months, all but a few small, isolated areas in the world were under their control. Despite the overwhelming odds, a rag-tag resistance formed, banding together to continue the fight.

Nevertheless, their hopes of overpowering Eggman and his militia were devastatingly slim. They've gathered hundreds of thousands of living, innocent animals. However, the vast majority were wiped out. Without Sonic, they lacked the confidence and power to survive. For the Resistance and the sake of Mobius, it would take a phenomenon to overcome the Eggman Empire and restore the entire planet.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

In an old laboratory, four members of the Resistance stood around a table, looking at the large computer screen that was displayed on the back wall. Amy, Silver, Espio, and Charmy were all quiet. During the war, they weren't dominant enough to reclaim the lost worlds. Things just weren't the same without Sonic. With the Blue Blur, he gave everyone motivation to defend themselves and save the worlds. But since Eggman announced to the entire world that he was no longer around these parts, they struggled to cope with the loss of their biggest hero. What made it worse for the Resistance was to hear of Tails' untimely demise as well.

Soon, they all heard the front door automatically open. A green crocodile with headphones and a gold chain walked in.

"Eggman's army is unstoppable! Without Sonic, the people are losing hope and giving into despair," complained Vector.

"Despair is a luxury we don't have," Silver the Hedgehog muttered. "And besides, we've relied on Sonic way too much. I understand he's usually our main reason for safety, but we can't lose hope just because he's not here."

"I still dream that Sonic is with us," Amy envisaged. The pink hedgehog really missed her crush, despite him not returning the same kind of feelings, given from their history. "Do you think he might be-"

"I'm an optimist, but I'm also a realist," the white-furred hedgehog interrupted. "Sonic is gone, Amy. And Tails..." A hint of sadness lingered from his voice. " _Sigh_ , we already had to deal with Tails' unfortunate death, too. It's a shame to hear how he was only trying to help save Red Gate City, only to get... murdered by Shadow." He finished that sentence with malice. "I can't believe he's under Eggman's control. Not only that, but he killed him, too? That's so messed up."

Charmy, Espio, and Vector closed their eyes and tilted their heads downwards to pay another round of silent respects for the fox. Amy looked at the screen, hiding her face so she could wipe a tear.

"To add more insult to injury, our forces we recruited are diminishing. We took a risk, and we lost so many lives over the past six months. It's terrible, yes, but I still feel like we can somehow overcome this. If we're going to win, we have to do it without Sonic and Tails."

"How, Silver?" Vector stared at him. "We can't be putting more innocent people on the line just for them to die from Eggman's legion."

"What other choice do we have? We've been fighting, and we've managed to stay alive despite all this mayhem."

"The same can't be said to those who lost their lives!"

"Enough," a voice ceased their altercation. "As much as I hate to say it, but Silver is right," Espio admitted as he walked forward to lean over the table. "We've been hoping for a miracle these past six months, but I'm afraid we have to make our own miracle," he finished with a clenched fist.

Vector could only shake his head, feeling quite skeptical.

"Eggman's army has everyone terrified. If we want the people to rally, we have to show them that strength doesn't just come from numbers."

"So much for the plan of asking others to join. It's like we drafted them to take part of a world war they didn't want to be a part of!" Vector threw his hands in the air.

"But not everyone is terrified. Isn't a new recruit joining us today?" Charmy asked.

"Yes, a survivor from the city, right?" Silver turned to Amy.

"I'm accessing the file now..." She tapped the mobile computer to search for the identity and information of this new face.

"Well, let's see who it is," Espio whispered as he and everyone waited for the results to flash in front of them.

* * *

 _~Avatar's POV_

Life couldn't be more fucked up than it is right now.

Disaster.

Terror.

Deathly.

Frightful.

Armageddon.

You can list a thousand words, any kind, any type, and they'll all somehow describe the shit I've witnessed.

Pardon my language. As I grew up, I tend to have a bad tongue and swear on several occasions. It's not professional, but I can't seem to help it ever since that cold-blooded doctor in red destroyed my first hometown and my most recent one. He basically ruined everything in my existence.

When he pushed things too far to get what he wanted, I sought revenge.

Let me explain. I'm a sixteen-year old wolf, three feet and six inches tall, with light yellow skin, orange fur that looks marginally reddish, and heterochromia, meaning I have different colored eyes. The one on the left is green, and my right one is blue, respectively. I also wear a pair of glasses outlined in black, gray socks, white gloves, and a pair of yellow, glossy sneakers with red fire decals. I don't really wear clothing. It's not much my style. **_(1)_**

Now that I described my appearance, I want to discuss my past. I have a history of Dr. Robotnik, a.k.a. Eggman, destroying my personal life.

Beforehand, I had a family that consisted of my mother, father, and younger brother. My parents, Leia and Phoenix, were incredible people, also working hard to support us. Leia had short, blonde fur, blue eyes, white skin, and typically wears a sleeveless, pink blouse with white flowers. Phoenix was a four-foot tall wolf with long red fur, green eyes, brown glasses, and tan skin. He likes to wear dress shirts. My younger brother, Raff, almost has the same colored fur as me; it's more red than orange. He also had green eyes and no glasses. Like myself, he doesn't wear that much clothing other than the matching socks, gloves, and shoes, only his are blue with lime green stars.

I loved everyone in my family, especially my brother. He was one of the few people I truly enjoyed being with every single day. He was the one to keep me company whenever my parents were working. We would go to school together, play video games, and run around to wherever we wanted. He may be my little sibling, but he was also my best friend. I always made it a goal to make sure he would grow up safely and have fun together for the rest of our lives, especially after... _they_ were gone.

A while back, I was twelve years old, and Raff was almost five. We lived in a peaceful locale on South Island. But then, Eggman invaded the island to kidnap animals and roboticize them. When he managed to attack our home, my father told us to leave as fast as possible. I didn't know what he was doing, until I realized a second too late. Before we escaped through the back door of our home, Eggman grabbed my father with a mechanical claw. I remember calling his name so loudly, and my brother repeated my actions. My mom, however, grabbed ahold of us to run away. That was the last time I ever saw Phoenix.

We were heading towards the shoreline where several animals were boarding a large boat to escape. Because we were faster, Leia let us go and told us to keep running. I was reluctant, but I ended up listening to her as we got to the dock quickly. My mother wasn't so lucky. She accidentally tripped over a stone she didn't see. When I heard her scream, I saw on her the grass. I wanted to go back and save her. But I didn't get the chance when Robotnik captured her, too.

We both cried for our mother, who yelled her last words.

 _"I love you, my babies. Please, run away and be safe."_

She lost consciousness in Eggman's clutch. We both stared with tears in our eyes.

Raff and I were some of the survivors on the boat that left the island. I never thought I would be _this_ scared in my entire life. The invasion was so traumatizing. Our parents were gone, most likely dead from the calamity, and it's all because of that fat bastard.

We managed to reach Red Gate City after the trip. The two of us were left alone as orphans, lost to find any directions of survival. I knew Raff wouldn't be able to subsist in the real world. Hell, he didn't know how cruel it can be in general, even if you subtract Eggman from the equation. All I know is that we didn't have money to buy things, food to eat, or shelter to live. I had to sacrifice my own time to take care of Raff, because I made a promise that I would be the best big brother ever. I know, it definitely sounds like an exaggeration. But the bottom line is, I vowed to help him grow and protect with all my life.

We started life anew in a poor way. Raff and I were living in the streets or in abandoned alleys. We had to search in trash cans for food as disgusting as it sounds. After I've had enough, I was desperate to get some money. I searched for jobs. It took me several weeks since there weren't many options for a twelve-year old. I went for an opportunity as a waiter at a busy diner because I could make tips. As a preteen, getting hired was highly improbable. But Chaos was on my side as I convinced my way through. Raff, on the other hand, was not allowed to do anything, to which I was fine with. A kid like him at his age shouldn't have to go through adult stuff that requires time, patience, and endurance. He mainly spends his time in the restaurant's break room, reading books he borrows from the library. I'm pretty sure he's gotten smarter from that.

The first month was pretty exhausting. But I managed to save enough to rent a small, cheap apartment and buy some furnishings for Raff and me. Throughout the next four years, I maintained to put food on our table and make a peaceful lifestyle in Red Gate. Raff looked up to me as a role model, but I couldn't take his words for granted. I was just completing my job.

Then, everything went downhill again.

Eggman was attacking the city for another selfish plan. Raff and I were in the center square, surrounded by his robots. We were given a breather because of Tails, the fox sidekick of Sonic the Hedgehog. He emerged in town to guard us and some other citizens from the Egg Pawns. Raff and I had always admired Sonic and Tails ever since we heard of the duo defeat the doctor numerous times. And to see the latter was quite a surprise. It got even better when Sonic arrived to save the day again. Raff and I managed to escape, but that was just the beginning.

Somehow, we found out that Eggman defeated Sonic. It was quite a shocker. Sonic, _the_ Sonic, lost to Eggman for the first time? How?

The doctor easily invaded the rest of Red Gate. Raff and I were in another frenzy, hoping to escape. Then came my worst nightmare since the loss of my parents.

I ran with my brother, only to reach a dead end. It was a destroyed road, and there was a large chasm in front with another broken-off street down below, about a ten-foot gap jump from there. I assumed these roads were connected by some downhill ramp, but that's way beside the main point.

I wasn't the most athletic person to jump far distances. I didn't know what to do in this dilemma. Then, what happened next is something that will forever haunt me. Something that won't escape my mind no matter how hard I try.

Raff saw a group of Pawns and Badniks marching towards us. It was led by some dark, floating figure with a mask, a yellow eye, and a strange tail. When he shot a laser in our direction, Raff pushed me with all his force to make me land on the other side. I somehow managed to land safely, save for the scratches I sustained from the pavement. When I looked up, I saw it.

The shadowy creep and his crew took Raff. I was at a loss for words. Before I could even think, he yelled at me.

 _"Big brother! Run away!"_

I refused to, though.

 _"Savage, you have to leave me!"_

Still, I couldn't move. I wasn't going to abandon Raff. Not my little bro.

 _"Savage, please!"_

The figure shot more lasers at me. I got up quickly and ran away. Looking back with hot tears in my colored eyes. I glared at the glowing, masked enemy. This wouldn't be the last time I saw him. I shifted over to Raff. The last thing I noticed from him was a small smile on his muzzle.

He was happy for me to be safe. I couldn't reciprocate the same feeling.

It was at that exact instant I broke my promise.

Albeit, it was unintentional. Either way, I felt like I betrayed him.

From there, I lost my entire family. My father. My mother. And my baby brother. To each and every one, I fled like a fucking coward from them.

...God damn it.

I was ashamed of myself. Of course I was. Why wouldn't I be? I already explained my backstory.

Speaking of 'why'...

Why did I do that? Or rather, why _didn't_ I do anything? Why did I just stand there and let my little brother get kidnapped? Why couldn't I have the courage to jump the gorge so the two of us would have a chance to escape the robots? Why am I so... useless?

I wished I could cry. But I haven't done it once in over four years, and I couldn't let the tears form. Since I grew into early adolescence, I refused to let the waterworks run down my face. I needed to change so I could put myself forward and support Raff towards a bright future.

Too bad I failed that easily.

Now, I needed to change. _Again_.

Taking in the realization that I was alone for the first time, I had to take action. I was determined to redeem my past mistakes. I desired to get my revenge. For Leia. For Phoenix. And of course, for Raff.

I heard a rumor that Sonic's friends were taking in any volunteers to help claim the world back from Eggman's hands. Knowing that I wasn't strong enough for the task at that moment, I trained myself. With the rings I saved from my job, I took fighting lessons to increase my speed, power, and enhance my expertise to become a hero. The reason why I'm doing this is to not only avenge my family but to become someone like Sonic. This world needed a new hero after his surprising defeat. I, at least, wanted to step up as some contributor like Tails did when he protected us in the square. I couldn't care less about the fame and fortune. At a time like this, I'm more focused on saving the worlds.

It took me six months to become who I am now. Almost a month away from turning seventeen, I have chosen to put my life on the line to help this city and the whole planet of Mobius. Once I was ready, I turned in an application to the Resistance, in hopes of joining their team and doing whatever I can to take down Robotnik.

Within a small period of time, I got the call.

This was my time to shine. This was my time to retaliate. I wasn't going to be a wimp.

For future reference, my name is Savage. Savage the Wolf. And I'm here to take back a part of what I lost.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

The automatic door from the side of the lab opened to reveal a red echidna with spikes on his gloved hands.

"Knuckles! What's the sitrep, Commander?" Silver asked.

"Happy to see you're all still alive," the leader of the Resistance sincerely acknowledged.

Out of all people, it was Knuckles who took charge to lead his remaining friends to team up and stop Eggman. Even after all the tough losses, Knuckles was one who refused to give up, just like Silver.

"Eggman's forces have chewed through our defenses at Green Hill, and the resistance in the city is reporting that whatever it is that finished Sonic..."

Everyone showed their own expressions of grief.

"Sorry, I'm still not used to saying that," he shook his head while looking at the floor.

"It's alright, Knuckles," said Amy. "I still haven't taken the news wholeheartedly."

"And we still have our thoughts on... Tails," Vector mumbled with dejection.

Knuckles inaudibly sighed. "Well, whatever it is has got them running in fear. All except for this brave kid I've met, who survived the battle and made it here in one piece. Meet our newest recruit, Savage the Wolf."

He gave the teenager a slap on the back for reassurance, but it caused him to tumble forward. At least he didn't fall.

"Hey! I didn't sign up to get slapped by the forerunner. Give me a warning next time!" Savage scowled.

"My bad."

Charmy flew over to the orange animal. "Hmm, doesn't look like much."

The wolf crossed his arms and shot a glare.

"Neither do you, Charmy," Knuckles threw back, "but I still manage to find a use for your pointy butt!" The bee chuckled from his somewhat fair compliment. "Here, kid. Take this. We're depending on you"

Knuckles handed Savage a blaster-like weapon.

"What exactly is this?"

"That's a Burst Wispon, named after a mystical entity called a Wisp," Espio explained. "This device harnesses the ability of Red Wisp Sonic befriended. With this, you can generate fire bursts to fly in the air or destroy Badniks effortlessly. Think of it as a very powerful flamethrower."

The rookie tilted the weapon in his hands to inspects its features. "Interesting. Looks solid to me."

"Okay, let's get going, everybody! The world's not gonna save itself!" Knuckles yelled.

Everyone in the Resistance cheered and nodded their heads. Savage closed his eyes before following the others, determined to bring light to the world.

 _"Game on, Eggman."_

* * *

The gang split up across the planet to the various locations that were lost to Eggman. Knuckles stayed behind at headquarters to watch his partners' progress or gather information on the current war and the battlegrounds. According to the demographics, Team Sonic was at a lamentable 0.01% of land coverage versus Team Eggman's overwhelming percentage of 99.99%. Before all this chaos occurred, these statistics were flipped in favor of Sonic and his team. But with the loss of the blue hero, the doctor had pulled off one of the most unbelievable comebacks in the history of Mobius.

However, it seemed as if there was a light at the end of the tunnel. There was a way to turn this ship around.

Knuckles reported through his global communicator. "Guys! You won't believe this! I've just received some incredible news! Sonic is _alive_!"

Silver's eyes enlarged in shock. "No way! That's excellent!"

"What?! Oh, thank goodness! I knew it! I knew it!" Amy was next to hop on board. You could easily hear the petty excitement in her voice.

"But hold on. It's not extremely good news. He's captured in the orbiting prison. My spy there says he's in a solitary confinement cell, and they've been torturing him for months," Knuckles responded with a grim look.

"Torture?! That's horrible! We have to rescue him!" Amy couldn't imagine what Sonic has gone through over the past half-year.

"The plan's already happening, Amy. I've got a squad on the way to the Space Port in the Chemical Plant to 'borrow' a shuttle."

"Borrow?" Charmy chimed. "Don't tell me you're gonna make us steal a spaceship to fly to this prison."

"Don't worry, Charmy. I'm not making _you_ find the shuttle. That's where Rookie comes in!"

"This is Savage, reporting. I'm heading over to Chemical Plant with the others right now."

"Excellent! C'mon, guys. Who's up for an old-school style jailbreak?"

"I'm ready when you guys are. Let's get going!"

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _There's the introduction of my custom character, Savage the Wolf. His appearance is not that innovative, as explained the PCN below. Either way, he's ready to help the Resistance._

 _We also learn that Sonic is alive, but he has been kept hostage by Eggman. And we'll be seeing him in the next chapter, where it's heavily focused on him and the six months of torture he suffered._

 _What exactly happened to Sonic? How has he been coping? What thoughts are on his mind? All will be said in Ch. 4 of Revengeful Resistance. Please review for feedback or anything I should edit, hit the follow/favorite button for future uploads, and I'll see you in the next one. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _My OC is basically similar to the wolf found in the 'Custom Hero Trailer', only with a few physical differences. I know he's hardly unique, but I actually liked the facets of this avatar. It was the one I created from my small stint of playing Forces. I did try my best to explain his personality, similar to his portrayal in the actual game, again with some alterations._


	4. Ch 4: Six Months of Torment

_A/N: I haven't done this yet, so I'm using this note to do it. I want to express my thanks to those who have either added __Revengeful Resistance_ _as a favorite, followed, reviewed, or just read the story._

 _To those who left a review in any of the first three chapters, I want to thank you for your honest feedback. Whether it's correcting my errors, liking Tails for being in a bigger role, or enjoying the story in general, it makes me happy to read your comments. MelGamingPlays, Tiger of Darkness, Kelly (guest), Sonikkuke, SpiderDom321, and prowerboy, you've all earned my appreciation!_

 _As for this chapter, I will be featuring another first-person perspective, this time from Sonic's point of view. I should address that I was thinking about writing the characters' reactions and thoughts over the events that occurred for the past six months, but I didn't know how to approach it or if I wanted to do it. But prowerboy's review recommended this idea to me as well, and it's given me inspiration to write about them. However, this will be an on-and-off thing as the majority of the fanfic will be mainly told in third-person. I don't want the story to be off-track at the beginning. Either way, I just want to give credit to where it's due, so thank you for the suggestion!_

 _Anyways, we're heading back to the dark side of things... Trust me. It won't be good._

 ** _*NOTE:_** ** _Italicized font will represent quotes from the past, similar to the ones from Savage's story in the last chapter. Personal thoughts will be bolded, too._**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic and all other relatable content are owned by Sega, not me. I only take credit for my original characters and this rewritten plot._

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** Six Months of Torment

 _~Sonic's POV_

 _..._

 _Location: Death Egg **(1)**_

Being in a small, confined area and me, Sonic the Hedgehog, are two things that do _NOT_ bode well together. It's even worse that my hands and legs are restrained by some azure, magnetic rings as makeshift handcuffs, so I couldn't do much.

God, I hate being unable to run.

"Grr! Urgh! Come... on! Let me out of here already!"

All I could was awkwardly ram into the bars, bang my fists against the walls, and completely injure my entire body. Bruises, scars, and small patches of dried blood stained my fur and skin. I don't even remember the last time I was able to take a shower.

On a different note, besides being tortured or afflicting myself, the harmless thing I've ever done was sit and sleep on the cold, metal bench, or the floor. Either way, I was miserable every single day and night, 24/7 for six horrible months.

I rushed into the bars again despite my running limitations. "Eggman! I swear to Mobius, get me out of this prison!" I bashed into the cell door for the umpteenth time. I continued to hurt myself for bad measures. Falling to the floor on my knees, I wheezed heavily. My eyelids blinked as they struggled to stay awake. To be honest, I haven't been getting much sleep.

Chaos, I was losing my freaking mind. In fact, I've already lost it.

But I wasn't like this in the first place.

You don't believe me? Pfft. You're not the one who was imprisoned for half a year. Okay, maybe that was a bit judgmental. I'm just not feeling myself lately. Or at all.

It started when I somehow lost to a freak... and when I lost my little buddy...

* * *

 _~Flashback: Six months ago_

Since my defeat against Eggman's new, strange henchman, I was unconscious and taken to a different location. I woke up a few days later, stuck inside a barred prison. Wondering where I was, I inspected the room. Outside the bars, it looked like something I knew too well. That's when I realized it looked like the Death Egg in space. I shouldn't be surprised if it was since Egghead always found a way to rebuild the space colony. For Chaos' sake, does he always have to show off his fat, ugly face to the whole planet? We already get it, idiot. You look like an oversized pea with a disgusting mustache. I was gonna say 'egg', but that joke's been overused.

Speaking of Eggman and his stupid facial hair, I came face to face with him when he visited the cell. I met him with a heavy glare.

 _"Hello, Sonic. You finally woke up. How do you do?"_ His smile repulses me.

 _"Never been better,"_ I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes. **_"Man, do I ever want to beat the shit out of you."_**

 _"Don't give me that look."_

 _"Why can't I? You ruined Green Hill, Red Gate, and pretty much everywhere else. Do you seriously have a bone to pick with me?"_

 _"Why, yes, I do."_ Again, the sneer on his face was too creepy for my taste. But since when do I ever like Eggface smiling? _"I have plans to completely ruin you, Sonic. For years, we went against each other countless times."_

 _"Yeah, and I end up winning every single one,"_ I smirked coolly.

 _"Don't remind me. Besides, you didn't win this time. And for once, I finally beat you!"_ My grin washed away. _"I'm going to soak in this moment for the rest of my life."_

 _"Does it end soon? Because I can foresee you living for another month or two before your stomach bursts into flames."_ My statement made him growl. Poking fun at the guy never gets old.

 _"Very hilarious with the weight jokes again. Just to let you know, I'm not going to make it easy on you. Unlike those times I captured your friends, your punishment will be far worse."_

 _"Oh, yeah? What's it gonna be? You eating a chili dog in front of me just to make me hungry?"_

 _"Don't test me, hedgehog. You'll start to experience the descent into madness as you'll be stuck as my prisoner. Your friends will be unable to find or rescue you. Not even your... heh heh, **dead** pal."_

My emerald irises widened when he mentioned him. I almost forgot about Tails. And the fact that he's... God, I can't say it. Oh, Tails... Why you?

I narrowed my eyes at him. Believe me, I seriously wanted to throw out every swear word in existence at him. But there are so many of them that I can't use since they would break the rating barrier. And besides, I needed to keep my cool. Maintain my composure and reputation, you know? I wasn't going to be a loose cannon in front of him. I'm not going to let his words delve into my skin.

 _"Enjoy your confinement, Sonic. It's only going to get worse from here on,"_ he hissed before leaving. I could sense the venom in his tone.

To say that I was worried was an understatement. I'm still pissed off at him though.

I knew Eggman since the day he attacked my original home, Christmas Island. And the moment I heard about him invading South Island, when I decided to stop him from his evil intentions, I knew how devious and sneaky the guy can be. Throughout my past adventures, he has planned so many ploys to build his Eggman Empire and rule the whole world. I always found a way to stop him. Until now.

And I can't believe that I'm saying this. I think I let my cockiness get the best of me.

I was too overconfident to take down that dark figure. Because he was new to my face, I thought he wouldn't stand a chance against me. Boy, I wish I could take back my initial statement.

However, I was also uncomfortable with something else.

Tails.

Not just because I watched him get murdered before I lost consciousness, but because he stayed to fight.

I wanted him to stay back. I wanted to make sure that he didn't make contact with Zavok, Chaos, or anyone dangerous. Listen, I know the kid's smart and helpful in my eyes. But put him in a match with four powerful people who are both taller and stronger than him, I knew there was no way he could outlast them. Surprisingly, he had mild success against Shadow and Metal.

The main point is though, he shouldn't have fought. I told him to run away! He was supposed to listen to me! I swore I wouldn't let him get hurt by anyone since those damn bullies who ruined his early childhood. And yet, he refused to leave! He got himself in trouble and was tortured by them! If he would've listened to me...

...

...

...

No. What am I thinking?

He was only trying to help. Tails was... Tails _is_ my little brother. He wouldn't give up a golden ring to be separated from me. Nor would he think about running away if I clearly needed help. Because of him, he showed how loyal he was to me. He trusted me with all his heart. He was devoted to stay with me, as my best friend forever and as my new family since I lost my own parents.

Now... I lost him. I utterly failed him and myself. Tails died, and it's all my fault. I don't care what you say. The reason he's gone was because I couldn't save him from Eggman and the other enemies. Especially Shadow. (Remind me to beat his face to a pulp if I ever see that Faker again.) The only pro that came out of this, which really isn't much, was Tails not being brutalized by whatever beat me up.

Who the heck was that guy anyway? I didn't know, and I haven't since.

Anyways, here comes the torture Eggman was referring to. This may not sound agonizing to you, but it was to me. Day one, while I was conscious, was just me sitting and standing around in my new place to stay. With no room to run wild, I was tortured with boredom, another pet peeve I loathe on any day. And it continued like that throughout the first week.

Orbot and Cubot brought me food every now and then. Chili dogs weren't included, so I wasn't very satisfied. I shouldn't be surprised though. I'm a prisoner after all.

I also gotta be honest, it's been a while since I've seen Orbot and Cubot. They may be dolts, the latter especially, but they weren't really considered as evil as Eggman. Additionally, every time they brought a tray over to my cell, they had the grimmest looks on their faces. Since I was bored, I tried to engage some small conversations with them. They weren't so into it. If they did talk, their tones seemed very forced to sound normal. It's like they were grieving over someone's death and did their best to hide their feelings. Who knows what's gotten them down in the dumps?

After the first week, that was when I took in Eggman's words seriously. He _wasn't_ kidding when he said he would torture me, and that it would get worse as time went on.

During the remainder of the first month, I was given these blue ring handcuffs to limit my physical movements. Eggman brought Metal Sonic to my cell so he could challenge me in a racing competition. Well, it's not really racing, per se. Just an endurance test to make me run as long as possible. You're probably wondering, how am I supposed to run and why are we doing it in an enclosed space?

That's the main point.

Two treadmills appeared from below the floor. I was told to get on one while Metal got on the other. Sounds pretty unfair considering he's a robot who can fly. For this case, he actually used his legs. Eggman set the treadmills at low speed. Doesn't seem too bad, right? Wrong. As I told you, my legs were basically tied up, so I could only hop.

As Eggman slowly increased the speed, I had to catch up. I was getting pretty tired after ten minutes; this was very uncharacteristic. Then, it got faster. And faster. And faster. I fell off the damn machine so many times, and I was forced to hop back on while trying not to fall back from the moving belt. If I didn't get up in time, Eggman would trigger a shock from the handcuffs. You wouldn't know how much my wrists and legs hurt from that. That was the entire punishment for the next four weeks.

The second month was horrendous. Remember my dislike for water? Guess how Eggman and the others maltreated me?

Let me paint you the picture. Rope. Claw. Water tank. Five feet deep. I don't even need to explain more.

I shudder every time I look back at those memories. Each of them got a turn to have some fun. The only ones who didn't participate were Shadow and the dark creature. No surprise there. Hmph, cowards.

If you thought that was worse, I would agree with you. That is, if it wasn't for what Eggman did over the next four months that drove me insane and made me feel completely guilty of myself.

He visited my cell on a dark night. I'm just guessing here. There weren't any windows to tell the time of day.

 _"Well, Sonic... How's your first two months here?"_

My eyes and slightly wet fur gave him the obvious answer. But in my mind, I said, **_"What do you think, jerk?"_**

 _"Great answer. Now, here comes phase three of your suffering."_

 _"Gee, can't wait for it. What's next? Lifting weights with Zavok?"_

 _"Ooh, good guess. But it's more awful."_

 _"How so?"_

 _"Sonic?"_

That's when I heard a different voice. But that's not just any voice.

It was _Tails'_.

My head immediately shot back and forth to find the source. It meant he was still alive! Or, so I thought...

 _"Yes, Sonic. Tails is here. Even after he was stabbed by Shadow."_

Ugh, he just _had_ to remind me of that image. Seeing it the first time was gory enough.

 _"SONIC!"_

That scream was louder than the first. Tails was in trouble again! The question is, how can I save him if I'm stuck in this dumb cell with these rings around me?

The answer was, I couldn't.

 _"Where is he, Eggman?!"_

 _"Why, he's closer than you think."_

I narrowed my eyes at him a second time, only to realize Orbot and Cubot hovering over. They were bringing in a cart with a television mounted on top. And there was already something on the screen. It took me an instant to notice what was playing.

 _"SONIC! HELP!"_

It was the invasion in Red Gate City's center square. And at the moment, Tails was held by Zavok and Chaos while Metal and Shadow were in front of him.

 _"During the takeover when my henchmen entered the city square, I had an Egg Pawn hiding in the rubble to record the entire footage of your useless attempts of defeating my newest creation. And best of all, the time when I defeated you and your pitiful sidekick."_

The nerve of him. It's like his heart is a black hole, sucking up all meaningful things that aren't related to his ego or his plans for world dominance.

 _"NOOO! SONIII-"_

Oh my god...

You could feel my shoulders cringing inward. My body completely shivered. I was angry on the outside yet terrified within. The memory of Tails' demise replayed in front of me. And I was forced to relive it. Those swear words were coming back to me.

Orbot and Cubot didn't say anything as they left. Like before, they did not look satisfied in the slightest.

 _"I hope you have a great time. Hope you enjoy your fox freak crying on repeat."_

 ** _"Repeat? Wait a minute... Is he really going to..."_**

As Egghead left, the video rewound back to the moment when the dude bruised me until I hit the ground as the other four were harassing Tails. The gut-wrenching part where Shadow shoved the wrench into his body disturbed the crap out of me. My stomach churned as bile threatened to flow up my esophagus. Alright, I'm probably making things disgusting here. Regardless, this was more horrific than gross. If Eggman's literally going to make this video play on and on for so long, I'd lose my mind. I wouldn't be able to get any sleep.

But that was the everyday cycle. And it happened.

Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months. I went crazy. I recoiled every time I heard Tails from being unable to escape and from me unable to help him. His death was miserable in my books. Having to hear his voice and watch him screaming for help started to tear me apart. I was furious that I didn't succeed and got beaten by a stranger. I was completely irate that Eggman would stoop this low to make my brain want to explode into a million pieces. _**(2)**_

That's when I tried to break down the walls. I tried to spin myself into the bars to possibly cut the metal with my quills. I tried to escape.

I tried, I tried, but I couldn't do it.

At the time, no joke, I was actually on the verge of crying. Since I hated tears, I did my best to hold back.

Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't cry.

Sonic the Hedgehog doesn't cry.

Sonic doesn't...

It wasn't until the end of the sixth month when I let it out. Mind you, it wasn't straight up bawling; water droplets rolled down from my eyes. I don't remember the last time I wept, or if I ever did once prior to that day. Somehow, my emotions masked my pride. Eggman noticed my breakdown, making it even more embarrassing. To his credit though, he decided to finally stop replaying my friend's death scene. That didn't mean I was relieved, grateful, or fine towards him. I still loathe that son of a bitch. He was the reason he killed my little brother.

I'd do anything for him to let him live life freely, with or without me. Yet I failed him, plus myself. I know I've mentioned this before, and probably so many times, but I can't help it.

I missed Tails. So badly.

I'm sorry, bro. I'm sorry I couldn't save you.

 _~End of flashback_

* * *

So, there you have it. That's the summary of my six months in prison.

I scuffled back to my bench and sat down, looking at the floor. I later shifted into a supine position as I stared at the ceiling.

Many thoughts ran through my mind. How was Mobius since I was taken? Are Knuckles, Amy, the Chaotix, and the others alright? Did they get captured, too? Or are they... I hope not, at least.

I wonder if any of them attempted to find me? If so, they probably wouldn't suspect me being trapped in the Death Egg. Eggman did rebuild the space fortress, and no one has probably heard about it over the course of time since he's been on the low. On the other hand, if they presumed I was dead, I wouldn't be surprised if they were mourning over me. But they're stronger than that. I know from experience.

The only thing that never changed about my personality was my confidence level. I presumed, just one day, someone will find me and get me out of this mess. And once I do, I'm gonna teach Eggman, Shadow, and the other creeps a lesson they'll never forget. That goes for the one who ousted me in Red Gate, too.

In the case I do escape this hell, the first thing I'm determined to do is to take back our world and bring peace everywhere again. Avenging Tails was another thing that I thought of. However, if he was somehow alive to talk to me, he probably wouldn't agree with the idea of harmful retaliation. Although, I've been known to make my own decisions. Some can be rash, others are more towards jumping the gun.

Just for now, revenge is a personal choice. But I wouldn't shock myself if I changed my mind.

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _How's that for dark? Probably a bit too far or even more. Either way, poor Sonic. He's been suffering for so long, and he's still losing his mind, as well as his patience. Can the Blue Blur recover from his misery?_

 _As usual, let me know by review if I should edit anything that is technically incorrect: spelling, grammar, canon universes, etc. If you haven't clicked the follow/favorite button yet, please do so! That way you can be updated with the story. I highly appreciate it!_

 _I plan to write Ch. 5 sometime over my spring break that starts in the first full week of March. I don't know when I'll upload it and if I'll continue this pace since I still have to write my other two fanfics on FFN while simultaneously dealing with college. I'll have to see. Regardless, I want to thank you guys again for reading, and special shoutouts to the people I've mentioned above for reviewing! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _In the game, it wasn't revealed until after Classic Sonic's first playable stage that Modern Sonic was imprisoned in the Death Egg. I didn't find it necessary to describe it as a mystery location (denoted by '?') since most of you would know he's stuck there. And besides, I let Sonic explain it from his POV._

 _ **(2):** Sonic was apparently 'tortured' over the six months he was captured, but I hate the fact that he looked completely unfazed from it, notably before the fight against Zavok. (Add that to the list of poor characterization featured in Forces.) This was my take on how Sonic was tormented (based on the previous events), just to make him sound more realistic given the circumstances of what occurred._


	5. Ch 5: Scuttle to the Shuttle

_A/N: There is an important note at the bottom to briefly explain what will be featured later on. Feel free to predict what will happen next. And thanks to everyone for __**10+**_ _favorites and follows, respectively!_

 _ ***NOTE:** **I re-edited the ending A/N to change a little bit of the description for the following chapter.**_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _This story is a remake of Sonic Forces, to which I do not own the game, nor anything related to Sonic whatsoever. I only take credit for my original characters._

* * *

 **Chapter 5:** Scuttle to the Shuttle

 _Location: Chemical Plant Zone_

This complicated factory-like area contained tons of machinery and a massive amount of chemicals where exposure to the toxic material could result in many adverse health effects. Over the six months since Eggman defeated Sonic, the entire place became frigid compared to its hot atmosphere on a normal day. Pipes were frozen, platforms and ramps were slippery, even the chemicals were abnormal due to the freezing temperature.

Entering the Spaceport of the zone, Savage and the Chaotix were tasked to find a shuttle they could use to fly to Sonic's prison and break him out. **_(1)_** The only problem was they didn't know where the blue hedgehog was being imprisoned. But that was step two of the process. They need to focus on their first objective before they could move on.

"Brr..." the red-furred wolf shivered. "I may have a decent coat of fur, but even I can't handle the freezing cold without a jacket!"

"The thing is, Chemical Plant shouldn't be cold at all," Espio pointed out. "Whenever Sonic rushed through the factory, he works up a sweat, literally. This place used to be humid and gruesome with the smell of chemicals."

"But with the place being frozen, the chemicals aren't really the big deal," said Vector. "It's the fact that Chemical Plant is too cold, and we can slip on ice if we aren't careful!"

"Luckily for me, I can fly and avoid all the floors!" Charmy boasted.

"Yeah, lucky you," Savage rolled his eyes. "So, how do we traverse this weird place?"

"You see those intertwining paths up ahead?" Espio pointed straight.

"Yeah, I do."

"For Sonic, with the help of some dash panels, he can run at high speed to defy gravity and make the loops. You can do the same to get to the other side, only you can run on the top surface as if they were hills. The only thing you should be careful of is the ice, like Vector mentioned."

Savage took a moment to look down. "Are you sure I wouldn't fall from this?"

"Come on, Wolfie. Are you afraid of heights or something?"

'Wolfie' glared at the bee. "My name is Savage, you dipshit."

"Can you not say that or anything inappropriate in front of him? I don't need him asking what every single bad word means," Vector complained.

"What exactly does that mean?"

"Ugh..."

"It doesn't matter. To answer your question, no, I'm not afraid of heights. It's... something else."

"What is it?" Espio inquired.

The rookie remained silent for a few seconds. He continued to glance at the large gap below the corkscrew roads.

"Savage?" he shook his shoulder.

"I... Uh, sorry."

"No, it's fine. If you don't want to share it, then I won't force you to tell."

"Thanks, but, maybe I should explain my concern. You see, on the day when Eggman invaded Red Gate City, I was with my little brother, Raff, and a few other strangers. We were huddling near a wall as his robots attacked. Tails came in to fight them off."

The moment when Savage mentioned the two-tailed fox's name, Vector, Espio, and Charmy held their breaths, their faces riddled with sorrow. Savage didn't notice since he was staring at the floor.

"After he defended us, Sonic appeared to help. We managed to evacuate, thanks to Tails. But suddenly, we heard that Sonic was somehow beaten by Eggman. I didn't know how, until I saw _him_. It was a dark creature, glowing with a red aura. He was leading a pack of Egg Pawns and Badniks, and he cornered us into a dead end. It was a gorge that separated two roads. We were on the upper one. Since we were stuck and I wasn't a good jumper, I didn't know what to do. But Raff did something."

He made a fist and closed his eyes. That made them curious.

"He pushed me over the gap, and I landed on the lower road. Then, Raff got kidnapped while I ran away like a chicken with its head cut off. Since that day, I swore to man up and get revenge on Eggman for ruining my life. He basically killed my parents about four years ago, his henchmen took my little brother, my home got destroyed, and I was left with almost nothing."

Another moment of silence filled the air.

"Wow, that's rough. I'm sorry, dude," Vector apologized.

"It's not your fault. It was Eggman's. But I'm to blame for letting Raff get taken."

Charmy now felt sorry for the wolf. "Don't feel so bad. Maybe your brother is still alive, like Sonic."

"It's too bad the same can't be said for Tails," Espio muttered under his breath. It was loud enough for Savage to hear.

"Wait, what? Tails is... dead?"

Now Espio became surprised. "We thought you knew."

"No. The most I've heard was that Sonic was kidnapped. I didn't know about Tails' fate. I just assumed that he escaped while Sonic was defeated by whatever took him down. But now that you mentioned Tails being dead..." Worst case scenarios started to play in Savage's mind, both angering and worrying him. "God, I don't even want to think about it."

"Then let's not. We've been dawdling here for the past few minutes. We need to get to a shuttle so we can rescue Sonic," Vector told everyone.

"You're right. I'll lead the way. You guys can give me the details on how to traverse this area since you guys know more about Chemical Plant."

"Alright," Espio nodded. "We'll try to stay close together. But if we have to separate, don't hesitate to use your communicator. We're all linked together, so ring any of us up if necessary."

"Do your best, Savage," Charmy cheered him on.

"I will. And thanks for supporting my back."

After running over the curvy paths, a couple of Badniks got in the way, thus separating the four Resistance members. Vector went to the western section of the factory while Espio and Charmy flew over to the eastern region. Savage was by himself in the middle. He used his grappling hook to swing his way over to a platform.

"Just to let you know, we sent a team down here earlier to engage any robots or enemies in the orbital tunnel. They're doing their best to hold them off as we infiltrate the plant," Espio told the wolf.

"Gotcha."

"No, wait!" he immediately warned. "I've been told the masked one is somewhere around here, the one who took down Sonic! He could be lurking in any part of Chemical Plant."

"That's not good at all," Savage mumbled while clenching a fist and running over to some Badniks.

"Don't worry, rookie! You just gotta stay focused! We'll find that shuttle in no time!" hollered Vector.

"Be careful out there!" Charmy yelled through the chameleon's watch.

After blasting the foes with his Burst Wispon, Savage made his way to a metallic bridge. Tons of rings were lying on the floor to be collected, but this was no time to make money. He threw his hook to soar over more enemies before landing on higher ground. Fire shot rapidly to easily dismantle a horde of Egg Pawns. It's like Eggman made this place simple to traverse through, or the developers of this area were too lazy to make this a challenge.

Anyways...

Savage ran over to some bumpers to hop over another section filled with robots. More Pawns fell from above. He aimed and fired while he simultaneously avoided some of the lasers shot to him.

"How's it going for you, Savage?" Espio asked while he and Charmy were fighting a battalion of Badniks.

"So far, so good. I don't want to jinx myself, but this is easier than I expected. Other than the cold, I'm not struggling at this point."

"That's good at least. Just don't get too cocky."

Savage elevated from platform to platform with the help of some more bumpers and his trusty hook. Once he reached the top, he noticed a runway with some dash panels that led to a large loop-de-loop.

"Well, I guess I'm gonna have to make a run for it. If Sonic can do this, maybe I can, too."

He dashed as fast as he could before his feet fled from the speed boost and worked his way around the loop. He jumped over another large gap, only to realize he was about to fall down below.

"Shoot!" He then noticed a target on an incoming set of winding paths. "Ah-ha!" With his quick reflexes and agility, he flew through an open gap and landed safely. "Score another one with this grappling hook! For such a cheap tool, this thing is so handy!"

Savage ran forward of what looks like a dark hallway that led to the heart of the factory. He even caught his attention to the multitude of Egg Pawns blocking the way. With his Wispon, it was easy as pie to burn the robots down with the long-range fire. He worked his way up to a set of rails.

"Grinding on rails, huh? Never tried it using just my feet." It made him reminisce about the past. "Raff was so much better at skateboarding on them than I was. He taught me how to be better and learn some cool tricks. He was more flexible than I was. _Sigh_ , man, I wish he was here."

Pushing his thoughts off to the side, he rode the rails, hopping from one to another to collect a few rings and avoid falling off the ends. By the time he got off, he reunited with Vector.

"Nice going, man!"

"Thanks, Vector!"

"Take a look at this, Savage. It looks like a freight train."

"Looks like there are tons of supplies here. I don't know if Eggman is storing them for future use, but it also doesn't look armed or tricked out with a bomb or something."

"Let's keep going. No need to examine this thing anymore."

"Alright, I'm with you!"

Vector climbed his way up the wall with the bumpers while Savage manipulated his Wispon to burst into the air like he was powering a jetpack.

"Wow, I didn't know you could do that!"

"It was something I learned just recently, too!"

"Impressive."

"Come on, this way!" They made their way to a midair target. "You might want to hold on."

Vector listened and grabbed Savage's hand. The wolf clung to the target while holding onto the crocodile. Despite him being heavy, they managed to fly over a frozen lake of chemicals and landed on a speeding freight carrying yellow boxes. However, the top was very slippery that Savage nearly fell from the side.

"Savage! I got you!" Vector saved him from falling.

"Vector!" He was pulled up by the strong reptile. "Man, I owe you one."

"No biggie. Just hang on tight. We're going pretty fast here."

"Hey, you two alright?" Espio called.

"We're doing fine. Nearly fell off a train, but Vector saved me."

The chameleon sighed with relief. "Even though you're exploring this place the first time, you're doing a good job staying alive and kicking butt."

"I appreciate the compliment."

"Savage, look out!"

Vector got his attention as the wolf noticed the train entering a tunnel with no room to fit for them. Savage looked up and grasped Vector's hand again, pulling them up with his hook. They flew over another set of tracks as a separate train chugged along. Facing a close call, Savage extended the rope to catch another target, barely avoiding a head-on collision.

"Holy crap, that was close," Savage breathed.

They continued flying until the two landed in a dark laboratory. Espio and Charmy were conveniently there.

Charmy waved his hand. "Hey! You made it here! Nice!"

"We had some close calls, but Savage pulled us through," Vector gave the rookie a pat on the back.

"Now that we're all together again, let's rip past this place. Our team says that the shuttle is nearby somewhere," said Espio.

"Watch out!" Savage shoved the group aside to dodge the impending lasers from a line of Pawns. He retaliated with his Burst Wispon, burning all of the foes.

"Whoa, another close call. Thanks, Savage."

"You're welcome. Now we can move on."

The Chaotix ran behind the formerly scared rookie as he cleared the bridge. This time, someone else called them on their watches.

"Guys, it's Knuckles! Where are you right now?"

"We're more than halfway deep into the factory," Vector told him. He paused for a second to wipe out some Badniks with his tails and bubble gum breath. "Our group of fighters went ahead to clear some enemies, but not all of them."

"While they're busy, we can make our way deeper into the Spaceport," Espio stated.

"Excellent! You're getting closer to the shuttle faster than expected! But you got to act quickly. We have to rescue Sonic in time!"

"We'll keep pushing forward, Commander!" declared Savage.

The group of four ran over to another anti-gravity section to reach the top. They all took turns using their skills and abilities to fight the Pawns. Vector used the same strategies as before, Espio utilized his Ninjutsu expertise to sneak several hits, Charmy stung the robots to daze them, and Savage continuously burned them all down into metal scrap.

"The troops are reporting to me that the launch pad is currently quiet and most likely safe from any adversaries. Get there quickly before they sound the alert!" shouted Knuckles.

"I can barely see it up ahead!" Charmy yelled.

Savage and the gang flew over another section of Chemical Plant until they reached their destination. They grinded on separate rails, and Charmy remained flying in midair.

"Perfect! They won't mind if we borrow a shuttle for a while!" Vector smirked.

"Keep on going, Savage! Get outta there as soon as you, the Chaotix, and the team are all aboard the ship! Step on it!"

"I'm sliding on these rails as fast as I can! We're almost there though!"

By the time the rails came to a stop, Vector, Espio, and Savage flew into the air as they saw the shuttle awaiting them. Charmy hovered to the chameleon to grab onto his hands while Savage held Vector to swing them over to the other side. The four reached the launch pad in time with a group of the Resistance cheering for them.

"Excellent work, guys!" Espio praised. "You cleared the way for us, and we got to the shuttle!"

"Not only that, but we reclaimed this area for our victory! We'll be able to rescue Sonic in no time, and we'll have a better chance to overthrow Eggman!" Vector raised a fist triumphantly. Everyone else whistled and applauded.

"Woo-hoo! We did it!" Charmy zoomed in circles happily.

"Rookie, you were phenomenal out there!" Knuckles contacted the wolf.

"Thanks, Commander."

"Please, call me Knuckles."

"Alright, Knuckles. We're going to head back to home base with this thing."

"Perfect! Meet you guys soon!" the echidna hung up.

Savage walked inside the aircraft with the others ready for takeoff. After a minute, they took off to return to the Resistance Headquarters. The wolf looked outside one of the windows, catching one last look of Chemical Plant after seizing it from Eggman's army. With all of the enemies gone and powerless, peace has been restored to the factory. The only thing that hasn't changed was the cold weather. Regardless, the Resistance was making progress to take back the world.

Then, he became sullen. He looked up at the overcast sky. He remembered how the Chaotix explained that Tails died the moment Sonic was defeated by that creepy, masked figure, who wasn't found in the factory surprisingly. Nonetheless, Savage felt guilty for the fox who managed to save their lives briefly in Red Gate before things fell apart. Because of this, he desired revenge for more than just his family. He wanted to avenge the duo who formed the Unbreakable Bond, who became best friends and brothers, who vowed to save the worlds, who wanted to help the other no matter what.

At the same time, since he knew Sonic was still alive, Savage could only wonder how much grief and pain the hedgehog has suffered over the six months in confinement since he lost his little buddy. He could only hope that his own brother didn't die, too. Despite losing him, he wished that Raff was safe. But the chances were very slim that he made it out alive from Eggman's forces, the same way Tails deceased after Sonic was beaten.

He remained quiet during the trip back. That didn't mean he wasn't contemplating.

 _"Sonic, I hope you're not being tortured to death. I can't help but worry about you after what has happened. Tails, thank you for your support. Despite your unexpected demise, I admire you for helping out your brother and your friends. Raff, please be alright. I have a strange feeling that you're still alive out there. I don't know why, but I just feel it. All I want is for you to be safe."_

Espio walked over when he noticed how crestfallen Savage looked. "You okay?"

He almost flinched at the touch of his hand on his shoulder. "Yeah. Just thinking."

"You want some time alone?"

"If you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"Thanks, Espio."

The chameleon silently nodded and rejoined the Chaotix. Savage looked back slightly before fixing his gaze back to the pane.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _With Savage and the Chaotix getting the shuttle, they're one step closer to saving Sonic from his imprisonment. And as most of you know, the following level introduces Classic Sonic to the mix. However, I can definitely say that he will NOT be appearing in this story. Another character will be replacing him instead. The reason why I'm doing this will be explained in Ch. 6._

 _Not only that, two characters will substitute for Tails since he's gone in my story. And trust me, they will not be weaklings like how the fox was represented in Forces. (I initially planned to use only one character, but I added another as a last-second choice.)_

 _Please review to let me know how I did, follow/favorite the story if you enjoy it so far and haven't done so already, and find out who will be taking over the next scene in Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I chose to implement the Chaotix in this section so they can be a bit more involved in the action rather than to focus on the avatar. Silver and Amy are absent in this chapter, but I'll figure out a way to use them uniquely rather than to leave them off on the sidelines._


	6. Ch 6: Big Help from a Small Guy

_A/N:_ _Posting this on a snow day even though the first day of spring occurred yesterday. Regardless, thanks Mother Nature. I needed this after taking a brutal test that same day and wanting to... how do I say this subtly? End myself? Ugh, I don't know._

 _Anyways, I made an edit in the author's note last chapter. I am adding a second character to replace Tails as a last-minute change. This is just to add more interactions between the cast members. Either way, they will both meet the one who will take over for Classic Sonic. I don't care if you guys like him or thought he was a good addition. If that's your opinion, then I'll respect it. But the reason why he won't be in this remake is because I thought his appearance in the game wasn't necessary. Bottom line, he won't appear at all, but he'll be referenced._

 _I also want to thank SpiderDom321, MelGamingPlays, Infinite's Ruby, prowerboy, and Tiger of Darkness for reviewing the last chapter. I appreciate every single one of your comments! They mean a lot more than you think._

 _But unfortunately, I have a serious update to explain at the bottom of this page. I hope you'll understand._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _This is a Sonic Forces rewrite, and I don't own that game nor anything related to what Sega claims._

* * *

 **Chapter 6:** Big Help from a Small Guy

 _~Knuckles' POV_

 _..._

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

While Savage and the Chaotix ventured through Chemical Plant to find the shuttle, I sent Silver to find clues of Eggman's ally who defeated Sonic. Amy and I remained in the command post.

"Knuckles, is there anything I can do?" Amy walked over to me. Meanwhile, I was staring at the large screen that was displaying an electronic map of the world.

"No, you're good. We'll just continue doing research in here."

"What kind of research? You already sent out Silver to figure out what the creep's powers and weaknesses are, if there are any. Why can't I do something productive?"

"Because I need you to help me find Sonic's location of imprisonment. I know how much you care about him."

"Of course I care about him! But I'm literally doing almost nothing here. At least send me out on a mission!"

"No, Amy. I need you here. Just go back on the computer."

The pink hedgehog was getting frustrated. "Why are you like this to me? Do you think I'm weak? Have you seen me fight before?"

I refused to turn around and look at her. I crossed my arms and tilted my head down. Amy didn't know this, but I was sheltering her from the danger outside. Not like it was some kind of sexist act where I thought all the guys should do the work, and she would stay behind like a housewife. I'm doing it because... I was afraid she might experience the same fate as either Sonic or Tails. And with the former being alive, if she ended up being injured, how would Sonic react to that if he heard that kind of news? If she ended up like Tails, there's no reason to ask that same question; the answer was discernible.

"I already know you're a strong individual. That, I can't deny. But I find it unnecessary to send you off into a ruined area, or anywhere treacherous in general, which is basically 99% of the entire planet."

"Why do you find it unnecessary? You're not making sense out of this."

"Amy, go back and do your job."

"What job? I'm hardly doing anything!"

"Amy..."

"Don't make me whip my hammer and slam through your thick head!"

"Amy..."

"Commander or not, I want an answer from you!"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT YOU DEAD!"

Amy stepped back at my sudden outburst. She soon realized what I meant by that statement. Afterward, I immediately felt bad for yelling at her like that.

"I'm sorry, Amy. I... I didn't mean to scare you like that. But what I said is true. I really don't want you to die in an accident. After losing Sonic and Tails, you're actually the closest person I know other than anyone from the Chaotix. And... if I lost you as well..."

Before I could continue, Amy ran up and surprised me with a hug. I slightly jumped at the action and felt her arms holding my body tight.

"I understand, Knuckles. I guess I can't blame you for that, and I forgive you. But I promise I'll stay safe if you send me out. At least let me help take back part of Mobius."

It wasn't until then that I returned the hug. "Alright, Amy. I'll let you go."

Amy pulled away and smiled. "Thanks, Knuckles."

"You're welcome," I nodded back before returning to the screen. "Let me see where you can start." After gazing around, I made a decision. "I want you to head over to Red Gate City."

The location gave Amy a slight chill down her spine. Albeit, she was determined to help. "Okay, sounds good."

"Do you prefer another spot?"

"Um, no. I think that will suffice."

"Only if you're fine with it. Because you didn't sound too thrilled."

"Just a little hesitant, frankly. But I'll do my best! You can count on me!"

"If you say so, you may leave for your mission."

Amy walked over to the south door and pushed a button to open the exit. She gave one last glance at me.

"I'll report to you when I get there."

"Okay. Good luck out there."

"Thanks." And with that, she left the building.

Now that I'm all alone in the HQ, I was feeling indifferent. "Did I make a smart decision?" I said to myself aloud. "If Sonic is rescued and he finds out about what I did, he'll probably kill me." I shifted back to the map. "What's been done is something I can't take back. And speaking of taking things back, I might as well help Silver out, wherever he is."

I left the hideout and locked up the doors before taking off to find the white-furred hedgehog.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Amy's POV_

 _..._

 _Location: Red Gate City_

As much as I'm happy to convince my way to help out the team to reclaim the lost worlds from Eggman, I was somewhat anxious about Knuckles sending me to Red Gate. I stood on the edge of the famous bridge, looking over the broken buildings and rubble that remained there for so long. This place gave me the chills for several reasons. It was like a ghost town. **_(1)_**

Half a year ago, this was the place where Eggman unexpectedly ambushed. This was where Tails was killed. This was where Sonic was defeated and taken away from the world.

When I first heard about this, I was extremely heartbroken. I have loved Sonic ever since I laid my eyes on him. But over the years, back when I was young and innocent, I was acting like one of those crazy fangirls who kept stalking someone they admired. That was me when I followed Sonic, trying to convince him to be my boyfriend. And I would create this scenario that we would get married, have kids, and live happily ever after like some cheesy fairy tale. Eventually, as I grew up, I realized that I was making our relationship one-sided and that he wanted nothing more than for us to be friends. And we stayed that way, yet we remained close. Probably not on the same level as him and Tails' friendship, but it was still strong. Still, I have feelings for him to this day.

Now that he's gone, I, among many others, felt somewhat hopeless. I had the feeling that he was still alive somewhere, probably being held captive in one of Eggman's private bases. To my relief, Knuckles announced that Sonic was alive, thus confirming my beliefs. I was ecstatic to know he's still living. However, I was distraught to hear that he was being tortured. To think, Eggman wasn't that evil to make someone's life miserable in confinement. But after the many times he has been defeated, the doctor felt like Sonic has crossed a line too far. And that led to his retaliation.

I had a bad feeling the torture started when Eggman planned to kill Tails, and it slowly continued over the next six months. Poor Sonic. I can imagine how devastated he must be knowing he promised to keep him safe since he took him in as his best friend and little brother. Their unbreakable bond never fails to warm my heart. But now that they're permanently separated, it's like the sun never rose up again. There was almost no hope, no sign of positivity in our paths since the one who has saved our worlds was beaten up and was without his fighting partner.

To me, Tails was like a little brother as well. Although I've had my moments where I personally threatened to whack him with my Piko Piko Hammer or ridiculed him for his failures, he was still a young kid with a messed-up childhood. I should've been more supportive of him when he really needed help. And yet, he acted like I was a great friend to him. That's what I admire about him, even though I don't deserve his kindness. It's such a shame that he passed away after trying to save the city from Eggman. Worst of all, to hear that Shadow was the one who stabbed him, my initial thought was, 'What the hell?' I thought he was a decent guy after all our troubles with him. I thought we were allies with him, friends no less even though he wouldn't admit it. Something must have changed about that guy since he's joined the dark side with Eggman and some of Sonic's past rivals.

As these thoughts roamed through my mind, I made my way to the center square, the exact area where it all started. And to my surprise, I saw a familiar face. Or rather, two familiar faces. Except, one of them was a robot who reminded me of a friendly one I knew from long ago, and he looked disabled from talking or moving. The other was mending him. Or tried to.

"Ugh, this is not good at all. First Shadow goes missing, only to be brainwashed to join Eggman's team, and I can't find out how to fix Omega up. If only I was as smart and technical as that yellow fox. Or even better, if only he was still alive so he could help me with these repairs. And that way, I wouldn't be covered in oil slicks."

I walked over to the frustrated person. "Rouge?" **_(2)_**

She heard me call her name and looked behind. "Oh, Amy. Haven't seen you in a while."

"What are you doing?"

"Fixing up Omega. He's been incapacitated."

"How did this happen?"

She sighed in exasperation. "There was something strange going on a month before Eggman invaded Red Gate. As part of Team Dark, we were investigating a case for G.U.N. regarding the doctor. We assumed he was planning on something disastrous, building a new weapon of some sort. But we didn't know what exactly."

"That's pretty typical."

"Anyways, we searched for any hints on Eggman's activity. It wasn't until three and a half weeks later when we managed to find a secret base outside of his main chain of military compartments. I sent Omega for some low-level reconnaissance to track down Eggman. Shadow was going after him while I swooped into the lair to snap some pictures of anything important or mysterious."

"Did you find anything?"

Rouge nodded, making me more curious than before. "There was a strange lab filled with DNA fragments locked up in large test tubes. I found this room from a grate in the air ducts. However, I wasn't able to get close to examine it since the ducts were bolted in and I couldn't get inside."

"Then what about Omega and Shadow?" I was more concerned about the latter since he was initially working with Rouge prior to joining Eggman's army.

Rouge gave me a pitiful look, which was uncharacteristic of her. "After I left the area and gave the pictures to G.U.N., Shadow reported to me that Omega was apparently defeated by some strange villain after he committed a full-frontal invasion in the interior. Turns out the one who disabled Omega was the same person who defeated Sonic the week after."

I was aghast. My green eyes were filled with shock.

"To make matters worse, there was something strange going on with Shadow. When I tried to contact him, he was mumbling about nonsense that I couldn't decipher. The one thing I remember him saying was, 'What happened to Infinite?' And besides that, I heard punches, kicks, and groans from him. While fighting, I overheard Shadow calling the creature worthless. And later, the monster went berserk. He must have done something other than throwing a tantrum saying that he wasn't weak. I heard more punches and verbal attacks. Except Shadow was the one receiving the assaults. My communicator disconnected during the middle of their clash. The last thing I heard was a maniacal laugh."

From what Rouge was describing, I began to piece together what happened. "So you're saying that Shadow was defeated by that hideous animal?"

"It seems so," she nodded.

"And, Infinite... I've never heard of that before. Could that mean that the one who defeated Shadow was named Infinite?"

"That's my best guess. Shadow barely explained his physical description before I lost contact with him. This dangerous figure is a jackal of some sort. He had dark skin, a red aura, a mask that shielded everything but his left eye, and a strange looking tail from the back."

"I'm sort of aware of that. But, how exactly did he manage to beat Shadow? And speaking of him, why is he on Eggman's side?"

"I don't know how to answer that first question. But Shadow was probably taken away and brainwashed by Eggman thanks to that masked freak. I wasn't able to find him, and Omega was still out of commission, making me the only one left in Team Dark. Eventually, I learned that Shadow helped with the defeat of Sonic and the murder of Tails." **_(3)_**

My stomach felt so queasy like a bullet shot right through it. "Rouge, I'm so sorry."

"I appreciate the empathy knowing that you lost someone dear to you too, sweetie. But now I have to get back to repairing Omega. I took him here because I needed to buy some supplies. I'm surprised there were stores open for business after all that devastation that occurred six months ago."

"Is there any way I could help you?"

"If you're willing to, you can help refill his oil tank."

I obliged and went over to the poor robot. We spent the next few minutes trying to get him up and running after being shut down for over half a year. But as we were fixing his issues, we didn't expect what was creeping from behind.

"Damn it! I've done everything I could, and he's still not fully functional!" Rouge stomped her boot onto the concrete.

"Now what do we do?" I asked.

"I don't know, but..." She paused for a second. "Amy, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Something... sloshing. I don't know how else to describe it."

I turned around to search for the source. That's when I realized something emanating from a nearby sewer.

"Rouge!" I tapped her shoulder rapidly.

"What?"

"It's Chaos!"

The water creature emerged into its full form. Although it was at its weakest state of Chaos 0, I knew he was a threatening force to fight against since he was brought back to life by Eggman. He was shining with a few red effects all over his body.

"Come on! We got to take this guy down!" Rouge declared.

In preparation, I grabbed my mallet while the bat got into a fighting stance. Chaos started off by extending his limbs towards us. I slammed one of them away while Rouge performed a strong kick. Chaos went back and forth using his shapeshifting ability to go from a puddle of water to defend from our attacks to his basic stature. Besides using his arms, he flew up in the air and tried to land on us. Rouge was quick to dodge while I swung my hammer again to knock him into a wall.

Chaos sloshed his way near Omega and performed some hydrokinesis, manipulating waves of water to spew right in our eyes. Thankfully, it didn't harm our eyesight, but he stalled me for a few seconds. I received a jab on the side. If he dared to punch my chest, I would've ripped this jerk to a new low.

"Urgh! How dare you hurt a lady like me!" I got some revenge by hitting his left eye. He went flying a second time, only in Rouge's path.

"Ha! Get out of here!" she grabbed his head and delivered an uppercut to his chin.

He fell backwards but recovered instantly. It amazed me how he was able to withstand us. As we fought for several minutes, Chaos was mostly unfazed by our onslaught. And since we started to lose stamina from the fight, he sprayed more water at us. The liquid somehow wrapped around Rouge's arms and body. She got pounced when she wasn't able to move or escape.

"Ugh!"

"Rouge!"

Chaos turned around to expel a water ball and detain me. I dropped my hammer and fell to the floor.

"Amy!"

I reacted with a scared expression as I couldn't get up. He threw me over to where Rouge laid. Chaos sluggishly walked towards us. Even though I couldn't detect any emotion out of him, he probably looked pissed off and ready to destroy us for good. I closed my eyes, awaiting another assault from him. Except, something else happened.

"HI-YAH!"

I heard a shrill voice from nearby. It sounded masculine but also young like Tails'. When I opened my eyes, I saw someone standing in front of us, confronting the water beast.

"You try to hurt them, you'll have to get through me first."

Neither Chaos, Rouge, or I expected someone to interfere with our fight. And to my surprise, this guy dashed right at him to deliver a spin dash, which was very similar to Sonic's fighting style. When he landed on the ground, he grabbed something from a utility belt he wore around his waist. It was a pair of black nunchucks attached by a small chain. He spun the weapon in his fast hands, making movements to distract Chaos. He whipped one end with his right arm to hit his left eye. He pulled it back and switched to his left to strike Chaos' right side. Rouge and I were baffled at his talent. And soon after that, he decapitated his arms and legs until they decayed into plain water. Chaos was down to just a head and body. The boy finished off with one more spin dash to vanquish the enemy when he turned into a puddle and receded into the ground. The water bands that tied us down washed away too.

The hero turned around and lent out his hands to us. "Are you two okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks," I responded. "My name's Amy, and this is Rouge."

"I thought so. I know you two because you are friends with Sonic." I felt a slight twinge in my heart. "Anyways, it's nice to meet you. Although, this isn't the best place to meet someone given how this place looks abandoned and broken down."

"Likewise. I must say, you got some sharp skills out there," Rouge complimented.

"Thanks," the kid beamed. "I took a long time to assimilate these skills. It was tough, especially for someone like me. But after persevering, I was able to master some martial arts and Ninjutsu. But I also learned the typical spin dash and homing attacks like Sonic."

"Well, you were tremendous out there. We appreciate you for saving us."

"You're quite welcome. Do you need any assistance?"

"I don't know. Unless you're strong enough to defeat more than just a water enemy, it's probably best for you to not participate in any combat from this war."

"Believe me, I'm sure that I'm capable to lend a hand in taking back the world. I'll swear in allegiance to do whatever I can to aid you."

"Come on, Amy. This little fellow reminds me a lot of the other Sonic from the past. You know, the one who teamed up with our current Sonic to defeat the past and present Eggheads? **_(4)_** We got almost nothing left to lose if we recruit him."

I was little apprehensive at Rouge's comment, but it sure perked up the boy's enthusiasm. He really gave the impression that he was dying to help us. After all, he did offer his support.

"Okay. I guess we can add another member to our Resistance."

"Yeah!" he jumped in the air for joy. I couldn't help but smile and giggle at his excitement. "Awesome! I get to be part of your team?! This is my dream come true!"

"Well, now that you are part of our group, let's get started," Rouge smirked. "First, are you good at fixing things?"

"I actually am! I once helped to restore my grandfather's old car and built a large sign for a restaurant my brother used to work at!"

"Sounds like you got some experience. Can you help me repair a robot companion of mine?"

"Sure!"

As we walked over to Omega, I realized something important. "Oh, we already introduced ourselves, but I forgot to ask! What's your name?"

Getting a close look at his appearance, this person was a young wolf with reddish-orange fur, light yellow skin shown from his bare stomach and muzzle, green eyes like mine, white gloves, gray socks, and some sleek, blue kicks.

He answered with a genuine smile. "My name is Raff. Raff the Wolf."

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _So, did the ending surprise you? Did you guess the characters I implied in this chapter? If so, congrats, here's a virtual cookie! But, we have a revelation that Raff, Savage's little brother, is the replacement for Classic Sonic, and he's here to be a part of the Resistance! However, there are several questions about him._

 _He was kidnapped by Infinite, the jackal who beat Sonic six months ago, and suddenly he returned to Red Gate. How was this possible? How did he escape? And what happened to him since Eggman ruled the majority of Mobius? All these questions will be answered eventually. Now for the bad news..._

 _I'm going to be busy for the next couple of months as I need to focus on finishing my spring semester. Immediately following that, I will be starting my rotations, which will last for a month. Since I still need to finish my first story, Hidden Bravery (which is nearly done), I'll do my best to complete it before I begin my rotations. Unfortunately, as for my other stories, this one and New Brotherhood, I decided to put them on hiatus as of this update. (I will address this in NB, too.) I'll have to figure out when I can resume writing these fanfics, but it won't happen for a while. Once I get back, they'll be my top priorities over the summer. I apologize in advance, but I hope you all understand my dilemma. Please review for your thoughts or anything I should improve/edit, follow/favorite for more updates in the future, and I hope to see you guys soon. Thank you for your support. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Ironically, 'Ghost Town' was the name of the stage in the actual game which took place after this cutscene._

 ** _(2):_** _Rouge and Amy are the two characters I'm utilizing to replace Tails. It was going to be just Rouge by herself because she's in working relations with E-123 Omega, but I decided to tag Amy along so she could get a spot in the limelight, especially with her POV discussion._

 ** _(3):_** _Not only have I revamped the plot of Forces, but I also changed the dynamic of Shadow and Infinite's encounter, as well as certain parts of what took place in 'Episode Shadow', which served as the prequel to the main storyline. Those details will be explained later as the story progresses. But just know that it's definitely not the same as what the DLC featured because my version of the story is dissimilar._

 ** _(4):_** _This brings back to the main plot of Sonic Generations. The one thing that made me confused in the game was when Tails described Classic Sonic as Sonic from a different dimension rather than from the past. (Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong about this.)_


	7. Ch 7: Through the Fire and Flames

_A/N: And I'm finally back to writing this story! Thank you SO much for being patient with this chapter!_

 _Last time, we got to view Knuckles and Amy's points of view on both the war and the past. As for Amy, she met up with Rouge and encountered Chaos who put up a strong fight (as in, better than what_ _Forces_ _showed). A new face entered the battle to help the ladies, who was later to be revealed as Raff, a.k.a. Savage's little brother. Eventually, we'll get to why he's here. But for now, he'll venture through Red Gate to help the Resistance fight back._

 _The story description is slightly edited. But what's more important is a major note I need to mention. Earlier, I said that we'll be seeing both Savage and Raff in their own separate journeys, but I decided to change it where we'll only focus on Raff and his new friends. Omega will also make his appearance. At some point though, the Wolf brothers will be in the same chapter since the backstory in Ch. 3. They will reunite, much sooner than expected._

 _Alright, I don't want to waste more of your time! Back to_ _Revengeful Resistance_ _!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Sonic and the rest of the characters, besides my OCs, are owned by Sega._

* * *

 **Chapter 7:** Through the Fire and Flames

With Raff invited to join Amy and Rouge, he got straight into work to fix up Omega. The girls also caught him up to speed of the Resistance and that Knuckles the Echidna was the leader to rescue Sonic from wherever he's being held and to overthrow the Eggman Empire. However, Amy, being the only one who knows, did not tell him about Savage and how he was alive to join the group. It wasn't off the top of her head since she didn't know much about the red wolf. **_(1)_** There was a point though where she noticed that Raff has some resemblance to the sixteen-year old.

Minutes later, Raff said he was almost finished. Amy and Rouge didn't know how he did it, but the nine-year old mechanic worked swiftly and efficiently to mend Omega's problems.

"Just some twists here and there," Raff mumbled as he worked with a socket wrench. "Some adjustments here..." he fixed the exhaust pipes. "One more final touch and... Bam! Finished!" he clapped his hands.

"Well, let's see if you got the job done, kiddo." Rouge walked up to inspect the robot. A few seconds passed, but nothing happened.

"Um, not to sound critical, Raff, but are you sure you fixed him up?" Amy looked skeptical.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I thought I reprogrammed everything. I don't know why he's-"

"Wait a minute!" Rouge interrupted. She saw Omega's right hand clench before his fingers uncurled and moved back and forth. It was like he was feeling the sensation in his body once more. "Omega? Can you hear me?"

His red eyes lit up and blinked. "Affirmative. E-123 Omega reporting. Power system restored."

Rouge smirked and turned to the wolf. "I can't believe it. You actually fixed him. I must say, I'm quite impressed!"

"Thanks, Miss Rouge! I'm happy he's back to normal!"

"Please, just call me Rouge."

"Okay, Miss- Oops, heh. Sorry, Rouge."

"You're fine, sweetie."

"I guess you proved me wrong. You're really a handy guy, Raff!" Amy complimented.

"Thanks, Amy! I just love constructing and fixing things!"

Omega looked at his surroundings. Red Gate City was still in ruins with buildings either toppled, broken, or destroyed. The concrete ground had tons of potholes and debris from the earlier attacks. Everything about this place was not only uncomfortably quiet, but deserted as well.

"What happened here? I do not comprehend the situation."

"We'll get into the details later," Rouge told him. "Let's think about what we should do next."

Then, the three heard Omega beeping. He seemed to pick up some powerful signals. "Sensors indicate signs of Eggman and his army in this city somewhere. Location undetermined, but confirmed to be in close range."

The bat thought for a second before turning to Amy and Raff. "I think our next step is to restore the city, one section at a time. First off, we should defeat the robots that Eggman and his beastly minion ordered to invade. By clearing the area, we probably won't have to worry about their troops taking over the region again."

"How would you know they won't conquer this part of Red Gate again?" Amy queried.

"I'm not guaranteeing anything. It's only a small start."

"Must eliminate foes before city is completely abolished. Must not waste time."

"Omega's right. We better start clearing up the robots."

"Guess this area isn't much of a ghost town after all," Amy thought. "Knowing Eggman, he always finds a way to surprise us with some stupid tricks up his sleeves. Well, he won't see us coming!"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's head out now!" Raff urged.

* * *

The members of Team Dark decided to explore the west block of the nearby area while Amy and Raff took the east side. Running past a set of burning houses, the hedgehog and the wolf made their way down the rocky path. Along the way, meteors were flying towards them, causing the duo to stop, duck, and dodge.

"Yikes! That was close!" Amy barely evaded one.

"Look out!" Raff dove to bring her down on the ground. Another one flew over their hands and crashed into a balcony, engulfing the building in flames.

"Oh, my god. You saved me there. Thanks, Raff."

"Anything for you, Miss Amy. Uh, I mean, if you want to be called that."

"It's fine. 'Amy' is good enough."

"Alright, Amy. Let's continue then."

"Right."

Dashing down a small incline and crossing some gaps, Raff and Amy managed to avoid the other meteors as they collected some rings. After crossing a big loop and a corkscrew, they reached a lower section where a quartet of Badniks appeared. Raff made the first move as he whipped out his nunchucks. Twirling the weapon in his hands, he tossed one of the sticks to penetrate the head of one of them. He brought it back and slashed the second enemy through the middle. Amy took care of the other two with her trusty hammer. Swinging in a circular motion, her strength had enough force to whack one into the other. They both went flying over to the other side of the city.

"Way to go, Amy!"

"Thanks! You were great, too!"

They ran by some more loops before reaching an alleyway where an Egg Pawn lingered. He shot right at them, but the heroes split apart to the sides. They each gave the enemy a hit with their tools before jumping over a broken road.

Meanwhile, Rouge flew past a three-story apartment that unfortunately crumbled to a single level. She was ahead of Omega to get a clear view of the enemy spawns ahead in case they tried to stall him. Rouge used her martial arts to defend from the flying robots that came to her. None of them could land a hit on her. A laser was shot at her, but it surprisingly deflected off her heart-shaped chest plate.

"Hmph, tried to harm a precious lady right there, huh? How inappropriate of you."

Rouge flew over to the foe to get her revenge. She gave the robot a heavy kick in the area a guy would hate to be punted in.

"Do that with your hands and I'll give you a restraining order, jerk!" she finished by punching him in the face as he fell into a fire.

Omega glided across the ground as he began to eradicate the ground bound androids. A couple Egg Pawns tried to put up a physical combat, but he utilized his Beam Cannon and Flamethrower after shaking off the hits he received. His first goal was to not be shut down again. But his current priority is to get revenge and stop Eggman's forces from continuing to devastate Red Gate.

"An effortless approach," he ridiculed the Egg Pawns. "They are not as ultimate compared to my standards."

Rouge rolled her eyes at Omega's monotonous comment. She tapped her communicator to give Amy a call. "How're you two holding up?"

The pink hedgehog gave a response. "Raff and I are clearing up the east side of Red Gate. No trouble so-"

"Amy!" Raff yelled.

"WHOA!"

Rouge heard them scream, followed by a loud explosion. "What happened? Are you alright?"

Back at Amy and Raff, they were ducking under a fallen tower. They laid their backs on the structure.

"We're... just fine... A tower got knocked down by a meteor. Raff pushed me away when I wasn't looking. And thankfully, he saved both of us."

"Sounds like Raff is paying dividends for us so far. Or you, in this case. He's been saving your butt."

"That's not funny, Rouge."

"Who said I was being funny? I'm implying that adding the little wolf to our team was the right choice."

Amy turned to her left to glance at Raff, only to see a dismayed look. "Oh, Raff... The way I said it wasn't meant to be in a bad way. You're actually quite helpful. Honest."

"Really?"

"I do. Sometimes the things I say are either taken in the wrong context, or I accidentally spill something I shouldn't have. But trust me. What I said back there only applied to the first one. You did save me back there, and I'm grateful for it."

Raff beamed from her comment. "Thanks, Amy. I'm glad I could help."

Amy smiled back before it faded away. "We better keep going. The town's still getting destroyed out here."

"You're right. No time to catch a break."

"Just remember to keep your eyes out for any surprises lurking in the alleys or anywhere high and low. I'll get back to you in a few minutes for a progress report," Rouge called.

"Gotcha. Talk to you in a bit," Amy replied before hanging up.

With the bat and the robot, they sped over to a stony runway where they passed a long, broken fence. As Omega used a dash panel to overcome a wide corkscrew, Rouge looked in the background to see more of the devastation. She still couldn't believe Red Gate maintained its poor appearance for over half a year. And the citizens who lived in the city were either struggling as inexperienced fighters for the Resistance, or deceased trying to repair and defend their home.

"I can't believe it. Eggman and his crew really did a number to almost everyone here. And this place, this entire city, they've made a complete mess. Even part of the Red Gate Bridge is destroyed. Such a famous landmark to get an amazing view of this area. Well now, I'm getting a terrible view of how everything has gone to shit."

"This war has been going on for long enough. It's been too many months. We have to impede Eggman and his empire to end this conflict as soon as possible!" Omega boomed through his robotic chip.

Rouge narrowed her eyes as she flew faster than before. They made their way to an underground section of the town. Along the way, she and Omega incessantly vanquished the Egg Pawns and Badniks that lingered in the sewers.

Amy and Raff were also below Red Gate, reaching a musty tunnel as a river of polluted water went into the depths of the conduit. Sewage, trash, and broken scrap were scattered all over the area.

"Pee-yew! If that stench is coming from the waste down here, that's absolutely gross!" Amy complained as she pinched her nose. "How do people not take care of their own hometown?"

Raff also his nose blocked to avoid the smell. "I don't know, but I agree about how stinky it is underground. But I think I've smelled worse back when my brother worked at the restaurant."

The two rushed away from the tunnel as they went further near a hallway with brick archways and a few Buzz Bombers.

"Which one was that?" she questioned as she saw Raff kill them with a chain reaction of spin dashes.

"It was called 'Red Seagate Shack', originally located near the Red Gate Bridge. It offered a great view of the landmark as well as the river that flows under it. It usually gets busy whenever it's sunset because it reflects a nice reddish-orange shadow over the entire city. And whenever it transitions to the night, it becomes beautiful when all the lights shine."

"That does sound pretty. But, what do you mean it was originally near the bridge?"

"Eggman, his allies, and his horde of Badniks went everywhere to terrorize the people. The restaurant ended up getting destroyed during the invasion. Because of that, my brother lost his job. And then, I got separated from him."

Amy was surprised to hear that. "That's so unfortunate. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I just hope he's alive like Sonic. I understood how influential and heroic he was to you and your friends. He's such a daredevil, and he would put himself in harm's way to protect the world from Eggman and all sorts of evil. He must really mean a lot if you're planning to get him back. But as for my big bro, the most I know is that he was gone."

"What happened when you guys got separated?"

"The last moment I was with him was when we were cornered at a dead end. Or rather, at the edge of a broken road with another one down below with a ten-foot gap. It was either we fall to the other side, fall into the hole that Chaos only knows where it goes, or get captured by the demon who helped Eggman succeed in defeating Sonic and destroying the city."

"Infinite..."

"What did you say?"

"Infinite. He's a jackal, and he's the one who bested Sonic six months ago."

"So that's who the creature was?"

"Yeah. I assume you escaped from him, right?"

"Actually, no."

"No?"

"When we got stuck, there was a weird impulse I had that made me want to save my brother. I pushed away, and he fell onto the other side. Immediately, I got taken. And that was the last time I saw him."

Raff sighed as he leaned his hand on the wall. Amy went behind and rubbed his back to relieve him. "Again, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you and your brother. But, maybe there's a chance he's still living. He could be anywhere in the world at this point."

"That's the thing. If he is alive, where he is now? And will I ever see him again?"

This time, Amy didn't know how to answer his question. All she could do was stand in silence and sympathize with him. It was almost like every situation when Sonic and Tails got separated, except this one was perpetual.

Raff shook his head and cleared his mind. "We need to focus again. That's on me this time. I'm sure we're almost done with this part of Red Gate."

Amy reluctantly followed even though she knew it was the only choice they had.

As they made their way to the outside, they rolled up steep inclines and jumped onto high and low platforms as a barricade of Crabmeats and Buzz Bombers blocked their path. Amy got to work by smashing the crabs while Raff handled the robotic bees. They all exploded or became disabled on impact. More meteors rained down into the ghost town as they reached the end of an avenue. Smoke and flames engulfed more of the city, much to the horrible sight of the heroes. They actually found the source of where the fire came from.

"My goodness! Look over there!" Amy pointed.

Raff got a peek as some humongous robots as they wreaked havoc in Red Gate, crushing buildings, flailing their humongous spiked forearms, and activating lasers from their deadly, red eyes.

"What the heck are those?"

"Those are Death Egg Robot Sentinels," they heard a familiar, female voice from behind.

"Rouge!" they said as they turned around. She and Omega caught up with them.

"Those colossal beasts have laid siege on this city since Eggman took Sonic away. They're the main source for maintaining the damage Red Gate has suffered."

Raff glimpsed back at the sentinels, scrunching his face in disgust. "This is absurd. Eggman really went hardcore and dark just to make everyone fall to his bidding. He may have conquered the majority of Mobius, but he won't get away with this! I'm gonna make that overweight eggsack into a scrambled pile of potato salad!"

"Why potato salad?" Amy tilted her head.

"I don't know. That was the first thing I thought of."

Then, Omega's sensors beeped. "Subjects detected. Multiple readings of enemies beside Eggman found somewhere outside of the city. Far outside this world, too."

"What's Omega talking about?" Amy was bewildered.

"Hold on. Give him a few seconds," Rouge held a hand up.

"One in particular is stronger than all the others combined."

"Could he be referring to that dark jackal known as Infinite?" Raff wondered.

"It's likely possible," Rouge put a hand on her chin.

"Update! Another subject identified. This one is special."

"Special?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Known as the world class hero of Mobius: Sonic the Hedgehog."

"Sonic? What about him?" Amy then gasped. "Does he know his whereabouts?!"

"Let him talk first."

"Setting of hedgehog hero in progress of being found. Searching... Searching..." A few more sounds emitted from his voice as Omega stood place. Suddenly, within a few seconds, he caught the heroes' attention. "Location identified! Sonic the Hedgehog found inside prison! Trapped in the Death Egg!"

"The Death Egg?" Amy repeated.

"Of course! Of all the possible places!" Rouge scowled.

"I don't believe it! The Death Egg is back?!" Amy was horrified.

"Actually, it is," Raff mumbled.

"You mean, you know about this?" Rouge looked down at the wolf with a suspicious stare.

"Yeah. I guess I didn't really tell you the full story, huh?"

"No. No you haven't."

"Don't worry. I'll explain everything once we get out of here."

"I'm sure you will."

"We might as well head back to the lab. We did as much as we could to clean up the baddies here. But as for the Death Egg Robots, I don't think we're capable enough to stop them. And Eggman is likely going to send out more of his underlings."

"You're probably right, Amy. Omega and I will join you in your headquarters to rest up and prepare ourselves for another task."

Just then, one of the sentinels fired a large meteor at the protagonists. Raff was the one to notice this.

"Um, guys, we should probably... RUN!"

Amy, Rouge, and Omega all got the message when they saw a flaming ball of orange heading right at them. Running down the broken road, they barely escaped the city in a close call. From there, they made their way to home base as the sentinels lost track of the heroes. That didn't stop them from continuously wrecking the place though.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _At the moment, Amy, Rouge, Omega, and Raff are not quite competent to face the Death Egg Robots terrorizing Red Gate. They'll need more forces to overcome these beasts. One in particular happens to be Sonic, and Omega pinpointed his location, which is great news for the team. Speaking of the Blue Blur, he will return in the next one._

 _After hearing from his perspective on his six months in captivity, Sonic will soon encounter something so unexpected, it will haunt him indefinitely. It could be worse or as bad as losing Tails, but you'll have to see for yourself, if possible..._

 _For now, let me know in the review box down below if anything should be edited and what you think of Raff joining the Resistance so far! Don't forget to follow/favorite as well if you want to catch up on future chapters. Again, they will be posted at random since I'll be busy working this summer. But I'll try my best to get as much writing done as I can. Until we meet again, I'll see you all in Ch. 8! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 _ **(1):** We all know about Savage's background which includes losing Raff. However, Amy doesn't; she just knows him. And throughout her time with Raff, she is unaware of his brotherly relationship with Savage. This is intentional for a reason._


	8. Ch 8: Looks Can Be Deceiving

_A/N:_ _Infinite's Ruby, SpiderDom321, prowerboy, and_ _Tiger of Darkness, thank you for reviewing Ch. 7 as of this update! V. 'OG3' Azerite, thank you for following Revengeful Resistance! I hope everyone else is enjoying the story, but now we're getting into some serious business._

 _WARNING- This is the longest chapter in RR so far, but let me tell you that there will be some morbid scenes here. This story is meant to be dark. If you think you can handle it, read at your own risk. If you rather opt for a brief spoiler alert, skip all the way down for a less-detailed summary in the ending A/N. I'm just telling you this now in case you might get disturbed by what I'm presenting below. Don't say I didn't warn you..._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Remake of Forces, don't own that game or the Sonic characters, etc. etc._

* * *

 **Chapter 8:** Looks Can Be Deceiving

 _Location: Death Egg_

In a separate room, a small figure was staring at a screen that a security camera was recording. At a high angle shot, it was directed at Sonic's prison. The hedgehog was sleeping inside.

Later, the person heard a sound from behind. He turned his head around in the darkened room where the large source of light came from the door on the other side. The light stretched down the hallway and to the control panel where the first individual was. The second person who entered the room made his way toward him.

"What do you want?"

"I need you for Sonic's next phase of torment."

Shifting his body so that he was directly facing him, he looked up. "And what do you want me to do, sir?"

"Show him what it's like to experience _virtual reality_. Except, make it a complete nightmare for him." **_(1)_**

The dark character took a second before nodding. "Yes, Eggman. I'll go out to him now."

He hovered a few inches off the ground before he flew outside the room at a sluggish pace. Eggman, who directed the order to the short figure, was cackling to himself.

"Oh, Sonic... I hope you can handle your new punishment," he clenched a fist.

* * *

A few groans and mumbles emitted from Sonic as he was snoozing on the cold bench. No matter how he positioned himself, he struggled to stay in one place. It wasn't an ideal place to rest, but what else would you expect in a space prison?

Then, a strong vibration shook the cell. It caused Sonic to fall off.

"Whoa! Oof!" he grunted. "Ow... What the heck?"

Since his hands and legs remained in the blue rings, he had a tough time to compose himself. Once he got up, he was greeted by a hovering guest.

"You!"

"You're finally awake."

"Gee, you think? If you're the one who made this place shake, then thanks a lot for waking me up," he said sardonically. "You know, you may have beaten me way long ago, but we didn't get off on the right foot. We never got to introduce ourselves to each other. I'm-"

"Sonic the Hedgehog, the most well known hero on the planet. Speed runner extraordinaire. You've been Eggman's adversary for an indefinite amount of years where you have succeeded in every single battle. Until six months ago. That was when your constant reign ended. Besides that, I know too much about you two."

"Dang. Did Eggman lecture our entire history to you? Did he ever tell you the two things he's good at is making Badniks that are simply destructible and getting annoyed easily?" the Blue Blur joked.

Through his mask, the visitor rolled his only visible eye.

"What?" Sonic shrugged his shoulders.

"This is no time to play games."

"I'm hardly playing anything at all. Anyways, since you already know me, let's flip it the other way around. What is your name?"

The black jackal crossed his arms over his torso. "You may call me Infinite in the brief moments that remain to you."

"Great! See, Infinite, now we're getting to know each other! So, what's your favorite color? Black? Red? Purple? Maybe magenta? I'm just guessing based on your appearance. Do you like long, romantic walks on the beach? I know for a fact my friend Amy enjoys them, that is whenever she forcefully drags me there. But you can skip those questions if you like. Out of curiosity, what's the source of your power?"

Infinite was getting irritated by his social discussions. "The source of my power is none of your concern," he marginally lowered his arms to reveal part of the gemstone on his body.

"Dude, I'm sorry, but you've just GOT to share the secret of your power with me. I insist! Besides, what's one little secret gonna do to ya? It's not like I actually have the ability to move properly."

By then, Infinite's aura grew brighter as the stone shined. The purple fog that surrounded him went away as the entire area gleamed in red.

"Huh? What's happening?" Sonic almost lost his balance.

"Your insistence is futile. It's about time you witness what I'm truly capable of."

To Sonic's surprise, he was lifted off the floor. He was now five feet in midair. "Whoa! Hey there! Chill out, dude! What did I do to you?"

Infinite didn't 'chill out'. Instead, he teleported from outside the cell to the interior as he unexpectedly punched Sonic that he went flying.

"AUGH!" His body slammed very hard into the wall. When he tumbled to the ground, he lost consciousness instantaneously. **_(2)_**

* * *

 _Location: ?_

Sonic was lying down on something soft. He felt dazed, and his head sustained a migraine. He rubbed two fingers on his right temple, trying to alleviate the pain.

Then, he realized. He wasn't wearing his ring cuffs. He looked down at his legs which were free, too. Sitting up from the ground, he saw a bunch of green grass around him. To his surprise, he found himself back in Green Hill Zone. What made it more surprising was that it was restored to its original appearance. The sand and the desert landscape were absolutely gone.

"What the heck? Why am I here? Where did that Infinite guy go?"

As he viewed his surroundings, he noticed something hiding in the green. It was a piece of paper. On one side, there was a large, red stamp of Eggman's insignia.

Narrowing his eyes, he flipped the paper over and saw a written message.

...

 _HOHOHOHOHOHO!_

 _Good morning, Sonic..._

 _If you found this note, I've got some news for you regarding your furry, little fox boy._

 _I took the opportunity to capture him. If you ever want to see him again, bring the seven Chaos Emeralds to me. And maybe I'll spare him..._

 _But if you refuse... Hehehe... I hope you'll enjoy him as a roboticized freak for all eternity…_

 _Cold regards,_

 _Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a.k.a. Eggman **(3)**_

...

"Wait a minute... That means... Tails is _alive_?"

Unexpectedly, Sonic turned to his left and found the Emeralds lying in the grass. Not only that, the plane he gave to Tails, the Tornado, was there as well. Ignoring why they were there in the first place, he walked over and picked up the Emeralds in his hands. He stared at the glowing gems for a few seconds before stuffing them in his quills. Determined and angry at his archnemesis, Sonic hopped into the pilot's seat and flew his way to Dr. Eggman's base in a blink of an eye.

 _"Tails, if you're **really** here, please hang on."_

A while later, Sonic finally reached Eggman's lair. Jumping out of the plane, he swiped past security and the robots who were guarding the entrance. But his speed and quick moves gave him the advantage, as per usual. After destroying the Badniks, he made his way into one of Eggman's hangars, where a single light shined down as the only bright source in the room.

"Tails? Tails?! Where are you?!"

"HAHAHAHA!"

Sonic spun around only to find a laser shooting right at him. He barely evaded the attack and looked up. He scowled at the doctor who appeared in front of him, driving his Egg Mobile.

"Eggman!"

"So, you've actually made it here. Do you have the Chaos Emeralds for me?"

"Where is Tails?"

"Ah-ah-aaah," Eggman waved his index finger. "You have to answer my question first."

Sonic growled again. "Okay, yes. I have the damn Emeralds with me."

"Show them to me."

"Show me where Tails is first."

" _Sigh_ , fine," Eggman sighed unenthusiastically. He pressed a button on his Egg Mobile. A cage spawned from above. And inside was a distressed fox in need.

"Sonic!" he yelled, extending a hand outside the bars.

"Tails!" His heart leapt with both relief and concern.

"Now that I've shown him to you, hand me those Emeralds or accept the consequences. You do know what the threat is, and I'm positive you don't want him to suffer now, don't you?"

"Sonic, don't listen to him! Don't give him the Emeralds, please!"

"But, Tails! He's going to hurt you if I keep them myself! I'm not gonna let that happen!"

"Sonic, please! You have to trust me!"

He thought about it for a second. If he didn't give Eggman the Chaos Emeralds, his little brother will be roboticized. If he does hand them over, Eggman would have uncontrollable power, but Tails would be safe at the moment. He was at an impasse.

Then, Sonic had an idea. He closed his eyes and began thinking of positive thoughts. A yellow glow started emitting from Sonic and seven bright colors flashed from his quills.

"What?! How dare you?!" Eggman was infuriated.

Sonic transformed into Super Sonic. With the power of the seven Emeralds, his blue fur turned into a coat of golden yellow, and his eyes went from green to red as he shined brightly in the base. Tails was surprised at this, but he was wondering what his best friend would do next.

The hedgehog snickered before he flew at supersonic speed. He spin dashed into Eggman, and his Egg Mobile which flew across the room. Then, he flew and bashed the chain holding Tails' cage.

"Hang on tight, Tails!"

"Aah!" The cage started free falling and eventually crashed into the ground. The door lock broke, and the fox fell out onto the metal floor. "Oooh…" he groaned.

Super Sonic landed safely and ran to the fox. He kneeled down and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you alright, buddy?"

"Sort of… I wish you gave me a better warning."

"Sorry about that. Come on, we gotta get out of here."

"OH NO YOU DON'T!"

Eggman got back up and shot more lasers towards the super-powered hero. Sonic grabbed Tails and soared out of the hangar.

"GET BACK HERE! AND GIVE ME THOSE EMERALDS, YOU MEDDLING HEDGEHOG!"

"Sonic, he's furious now!"

"You don't think I know that?!" Sonic departed the base and stopped on the wing of the plane. He set Tails down in the pilot seat. "Hurry! Start the plane and get out of here!"

"Huh? But what about you?"

"I'll keep Eggman busy. You just get out of here safely!"

Tails' sapphire eyes started to water up. "What?! No, Sonic! I'm not going to leave you!"

"Do what I said, Tails! I can handle this!"

Tails watched Sonic glide away, waiting for Eggman to appear. He whimpered as a teardrop fell down his muzzle. He gulped and took a deep breath. He turned on the ignition and the engine roared. As the propeller began to spin, he took off for the skies. Tails could hear Eggman, who caught up to Sonic.

"Get back here!" he shouted.

Sonic landed on the rocky ground. "Leave him alone! Just go on and fight me, you coward!"

"Coward? The only one who's a coward is your two-tailed fox pal!"

"That's because I told him to escape so that he wouldn't be hurt from you!"

"Well, since you dare to defy me, Sonic, I have one last surprise for you!"

"What are you talking about?" he scowled.

Eggman sneered at him evilly. "While I detained him in his prison, I thought ahead that he would try to escape on that silly, little plane while you stayed behind to try and fight me. Thus, I'd rigged it myself."

"What? But how? The Tornado was with me back at Green Hill."

"Oh, Sonic. You underestimate me too much. I purposely planted the Emeralds, the Tornado, and that threatening note near you so I could convince you to come here. I also triggered a bomb to begin ticking once you started the plane. It's supposed to go off after thirty minutes. And since you've used up," he paused to check a timer that was synced to the bomb, "twenty-seven minutes, it will explode soon! And it will work since your little buddy is stuck in that lousy vehicle! I planned him to die either way!"

"Die either way?"

"By roboticizing him, or by explosion."

Sonic showed his teeth in disgust. "You wouldn't dare..."

"Oh, I would. And if neither of those two options worked, I have my amazing assistant to help me."

"AAAHHHH!"

Sonic's eyes bulged out when he looked behind him. Suddenly, his face expressed fear, something he hardly showed.

Standing on the wing of the Tornado was the black and white jackal, emitting a red essence all over his body. He was in the middle of detaining Tails, freezing the plane in midair inside a gigantic force field. Using his dark abilities, he manipulated the Tornado to return to the island. By the time it landed, the shield receded. Infinite grabbed the two-tailed fox by the neck, suffocating his trachea.

"S-SOOON-NIIIC!" Tails choked.

The super powered hedgehog was infuriated at the sight. He gyrated to face Eggman. "You're a monster!"

"Thanks. That's what I plan to be, other than an intelligent, evil scientist! HAHAHAHA!"

"Tell him to let him go now!"

"I don't think so, you disobedient, yellow imp! Since you decided to use the Chaos Emeralds yourself, I have to go to my backup plan! And that includes my heedful mercenary, who is in possession of the Phantom Ruby, that thing on his chest. It's a powerful artifact with irresistible power that can override many things, including a Super State," the doctor sneered creepily.

"What?! AAH!"

"SONIC!"

With Tails still in his grasp, the jackal used his free hand to stun the hedgehog. Bypassing the Chaos Emeralds' energy, Infinite shook the golden hedgehog violently until the seven jewels fell out of his quills. Sonic's fur reverted to its cobalt coat, and so did his eyes which changed to green. He became powerless and weak while trapped.

"HOHOHOHO! My plan worked perfectly! It's all coming together! Now then..." He activated a mechanical claw to grab Sonic as he was distracted from the sudden incident. "I'll be taking those Emeralds, thank you!" He used another extendable hand to retrieve them.

Sonic struggled to keep his eyes open after Infinite drained all of his power. Stuck in the claw, he attempted to look back at Tails, who unfortunately couldn't do anything to escape or stop the relentless mercenary. He read his buddy's face like a book. He could tell that he was apologizing to him. But he didn't deserve to say sorry. The trapped hero then saw Infinite let go of Tails, making him fall back into the seat as he lost the strength to get up. Suddenly, the jackal vanished.

A beeping sound came from the Tornado. As the timer went down to its last several seconds, Tails gave one last look to his big brother. With a tear falling down his cheek, he showed a sad smile.

Sonic was at a loss. He didn't want Tails to die. It felt like a dream that he wasn't gone in the first place. But in a matter of time, it turned into another nightmare that felt too real.

The terrible part about it was that there was nothing Sonic could do to stop this. What's worse was that it was happening a second time.

"TAILS!" he screamed.

The Tornado blew up in a dramatic fashion. Flames and smoke burst out of the scene. Sonic had his mouth agape when he saw a charred body fly towards the water from the impact. Seconds later, a big splash echoed in front of him. Sonic couldn't believe it. He just witnessed his best friend die. Just when he thought he would be safe, Eggman completely misled him to devastate Tails no matter what happened.

Feeling frail and inconsolable, he squeezed his eyes shut in emotional pain. "How c-could you?" he muttered.

"I have had enough of you and your sidekick interfering with my plans. For once, I will finally get rid of you."

Sonic was shaking. "You cruel bastard…"

"But hey, at least you'll get to join your friend. Sayonara, Sonic the Hedgehog! HAHAHAHA!"

With that, Eggman released Sonic from his claw, and he fell to the ground. Unable to stand up, his entire body shook when he tried to push up from his hands and feet, but to no avail. Out of the corner of his eyes, Sonic noticed was Infinite's shoes floating down near him. This moment felt too familiar to him.

"Time to say goodbye, _hero_." Infinite charged up the ruby from his body, ready to release his devilish powers. A smoke of red, glitching graphics homed in at the hedgehog. There was no escape for him.

"NOOOO!"

* * *

Moments later, Sonic was regaining his vision. He was a bit more unsteady than he was before. Fighting through another splitting headache, he gazed at himself. He was back inside his prison, sitting down with his head against the bench. The cuffs returned to his wrists and shins. However, he saw something that nearly made his jaw drop to the floor.

In front of him was a rectangular glass chamber filled with five feet of water. It was the same tank that Eggman and his relentless partners, aside from Shadow and Infinite, utilized to torture him throughout the second month of his imprisonment. Above that was a mechanical, brass claw that once suspended him in the air.

"Oh no, not this again!" He really didn't want to suffer another session of almost drowning.

Just then, he heard several footsteps nearby. The bars disappeared as five people gained entry to his cell before they reappeared. Eggman, Zavok, Chaos, and Metal Sonic returned to the water tank in the middle of the room. The last two were clasping two ends of a rope that tied the fifth one down. Sonic was flabbergasted. Yet again, his best friend was standing in front of him.

Glimpsing at Tails, his facial expression was like the last one. He assumed the fox was apologizing to him again. From the kitsune's perspective, he felt like an absolute failure. A worthless being. Someone who wasn't laudable to be a sidekick, not even a friend or brother, to the famous hedgehog.

"What are you going to do to him?!" he bellowed at Eggman.

"Simple. We're going to make him watch you drown," the doctor chortled.

Sonic growled, showing his teeth. "You're sick!"

"I would be, if I hadn't done that already."

"What?"

Zavok stepped forward to elaborate. "He was placed in his own confined room. With a television screen, Dr. Eggman made him watch you get dunked in the water tank every single day. And he reacted like he was before you shaped him to be a somewhat adept partner. He wept like a lost, helpless kid. And on top of that, he's a freak."

The fox flinched which didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't... CALL HIM THAT!"

"You seriously think this kid is good enough to your standards? He can hardly catch up to you a footrace. He's not even powerful enough to fight."

"You think it's always brawns over brains when you don't even contain the latter," Sonic spat at Zavok.

"Take it back," the red Zeti narrowed his eyes.

"Hell no."

"Well then..." He turned back to face the fox in ropes. And then, Zavok slapped Tails' face with all his might. Sonic didn't see it, but red came from the spot where he hit Tails. He did hear him yelp in pain though.

"Tails!" Sonic was FURIOUS, with a capital 'F'. "ZAVOK! YOU'RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!"

He scoffed. "He deserves to be punished. That was for escaping the machine that should've roboticized him." The stocky villain then scraped him with his claws over his forehead and through his trio of bangs.

"AUGH!"

" _That's_ for insulting me."

"STOP IT NOW!"

He disregarded the hedgehog once more and delivered a fist to the fox's stomach. Tails howled from the hard blow. More redness glimmered from his body as he fell to his knees. Metal Sonic and Chaos forced him back up though.

"And _that_ is for being a worthless, two-tailed freak."

"You're absolutely wrong, Zavok! Now stop-"

"No, Sonic," the kitsune interposed. "He's right. He's been right the whole time." Despite being beaten up and emotionally scarred, Tails responded without stuttering.

Sonic stared at the eight-year old with disbelief. "What? Tails, no... Don't say that."

"But it's true. I'm... I'm nothing to you, other than being worthless and... a freak. Back then, I... I lost it when they kept immersing you in the water. Every day, I begged them to stop torturing you, but they wouldn't listen. This was how they punished me. They made me watch you lose your mind from all that pain and suffering. That was the only thing I could do. And it made me realize that I didn't do anything to help you. I didn't even do anything beforehand to prevent this from happening."

"What are you talking about? You were saving the people in Red Gate, _and_ you tried to help me retaliate against Eggman."

"But don't you remember the main point? I watched you get hurt by that dark creature. _I watched you._ I didn't do anything productive. I just stood in the sidelines as you were getting beaten up. What kind of person am I if I didn't support your back? How am I deserving to be your best friend in life?" Tails solemnly shut his eyes as the tears started falling. "I'm sorry, Sonic. I'm sorry that I failed you."

"Tails, no!" Sonic struggled to stand since he was still restrained. "You're not a failure, you're not a freak, and you're not the one to blame! You shouldn't be asking for forgiveness!"

"Then what am I supposed to do? Let you die?"

Sonic's heart ached since he never heard Tails degrade himself like this. However, he thought of something else. "Wait... How are you still alive? Shadow stabbed you."

"That's only for us to know, and it's none of your business," Eggman murmured.

"You better let him go, Egghead."

"Hmm... let me think... _No_. I brought him here for a reason."

"Yeah, you just told me you were gonna submerge me in there again until I drown in front of him. That's traumatic for him to witness something like that."

Eggman's mustache rose up while Zavok's fangs did the same as their smirks hid from behind.

"What?! Stop with the creepy smiles!"

"Did I just say I was going to let _him_ watch _you_ in that tank?"

"Yeah. Are we gonna have to go through this a third time?"

Just then, Zavok charged at Sonic. Catching him off guard, he held the hedgehog in his strong hands.

"Hey! What the hell?!"

"Oh, my... That's my mistake," Eggman expressed a dose of sarcasm. "I mixed up my pronouns. I meant to say that I'm going to let _you_ watch _him_ drown!" he pointed at Tails.

It took a few seconds for the words to register in Sonic's head. His mind was already boggled from Infinite's weird attacks. And once it came full circle, Sonic's eyes widened to the point where he panicked. Neither Eggman, Tails, or anyone has seen him react like this.

"NO!"

"You two, set up the claw now! Just sit back and enjoy the show, hedgehog!"

Metal Sonic carried the fox to be attached to the claw. Tails struggled from the pinchers trapping him. Sonic, still being held by Zavok, watched Chaos influence the water inside the chamber to bubble and swirl violently.

"Don't tell me you're going to boil him!"

"Relax, Sonic. He's only making the water act like a tsunami." Like that sentence made Sonic less anxious.

Metal controlled the claw with a remote control and pushed the down button. Tails cried before his scream muffled underwater. He tried to hold his breath, but the raging water gave him difficulty. Tails was lifted up at one point as he spat out water and coughed unevenly. He wasn't given three seconds to breathe since Metal submerged him again. Tails shook his body, but he couldn't escape the claw. He was brought up once more as he coughed out more water from his lungs. Metal Sonic pressed down again while Chaos viciously shook the chamber. Tails was already in peril, internally shrieking and begging for assistance. However, Sonic couldn't do anything since he was forced to watch while he was in Zavok's clutch. Eggman sadistically laughed to himself at the whole scene.

Within a few seconds, Chaos stopped the water. The fox was immobile underneath the surface. His eyes and mouth were closed. Sonic couldn't detect any movement from Tails. He shook his head rapidly. This was as terrible as the first nightmare. And both ended with the same conclusion.

"TAILS!"

He flailed his legs to try and kick Zavok, but the Zeti resisted. Eggman, Chaos, and Metal just watched him struggle. Unbeknownst to Sonic, another cloud of red smoke aimed at him.

* * *

"STOP IT! STOP IT, PLEASE!" Sonic hardly begged at all in his entire life, but this was unbelievable. He never felt so desperate as much as he did right now.

"You pitiful, filthy sewer rat... Get up."

Sonic stopped when he slowly opened his eyes and realized everything was back to normal. The tank wasn't there anymore, and neither was anyone else, not even Tails. Beforehand, he was initially shaking and screaming as he suffered a mental breakdown. In actuality, he experienced two horrid dreams.

"Hey!" Sonic got up off the floor. "What's the big deal?! Why did you make me go through that?!"

Silence rang in the Death Egg. For some reason, despite hearing his voice earlier, Infinite wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Why are you hiding from me?! Come out and face me, you chicken!"

A blast of red energy whizzed towards him until it hit his chest. The force shockingly pushed him to the back wall.

"Despicable. You sure went crazy from all that," Infinite transported into his cell, floating in front of him.

Sonic had enough of his tricks. He wasn't in the mood to make any snide remarks this time. "Okay, wise guy. What was all that about?!" he yelled while getting up.

"Something I like to call 'Virtual Reality'. It's a special phase to manipulate the _weakest_ of all minds."

"Grr! I am NOT weak! If anything, I'm not even scared of you!"

"But that's what you were every time your precious cub was about to die, right?"

"Shut up!"

"You should know I'm far superior than that useless weakling."

"Tails isn't weak! He's not useless, either! You're nothing like him!"

Infinite chuckled at him. "If only you could see the big picture. He's a wimp, and he's no longer around these parts. I'm here, and I'm going to continue terrorizing Mobius until my leader officially claims the entire planet. And as for you, Eggman has some big plans for you."

"What exactly is he planning?"

"That's a secret to us."

Sonic wished he was back in his first dream where his hands and legs were free. Except, he would forget about the ending, and he'd try to strangle the jackal.

"It's such a shame, really. It's been six months since I first ruined your reputation. I forgot what it's like to tantalize you."

"Fuck off, Infinite."

"Now, now... is that what you say to someone like me?" The jackal turned to his right when he heard whirring sounds. "Ah, some familiar visitors are here to see you. I think I'm finished with my business here. Sweet dreams, Sonic. Oh wait, I'm sure you got to experience them already."

After Infinite left an enraged Sonic to himself, Orbot and Cubot arrived in front of his jail.

"What do you two bozos want this time? You gonna make fun of me for looking like a loser?"

They were both devoid of any humor.

"No, Sonic. We just came by to give you your next meal," Orbot showed him the tray of food.

He noticed how blank their faces were, implying they were serious. "Alright. What is it?"

"It's Eggman's Best," Cubot answered.

"Ugh, please. Anything that lunatic cooks is nothing but tasteless trash."

"No, he calls it 'Eggman's Best'. It's a bunch of eggs with great sources of vitamins and minerals. **_(4)_** We fried them for you. We also have a glass of orange juice to quench your thirst."

"Yeah, well, tell Egghead to shove his fried yolks down his oversized gut. You know how much I hate eggs, especially when I'm dealing with one who practically ruined everything in my life and the entire world."

Orbot pressed a button to open the bars and set the tray down on the ground. He floated outside and let them re-emerge, diminishing his chance to escape (not like he was going to try).

"We won't care if you take us for granted. Believe us, we're just doing our job. That doesn't mean we enjoy what you're going through."

"Since when do you care about me?"

"We don't, really," Cubot replied. "But I'm with Orbot since he's my friend. I have to say, you don't deserve this at all. We just can't do anything to stop it."

"Can't do anything to stop it? You're telling me you _can_ do something about this, but you're not going to?"

"Sonic, that's not what he-" Orbot got interrupted as Sonic went over and threw the tray with his paralyzed hands. The food flew through the open spaces between the bars. The robots leaned back to avoid the juice.

"Are you selfish or something?! Eggman probably threatened you that if you were going to be traitors to help me, he'll discard into the scrap pile with all the other robot minions he excluded!"

"Sonic, please don't get mad," Cubot held his hands and tried to quell his loud voice.

"You became somewhat buddy-buddy with me when I was forced to team up with Eggman back on the Lost Hex. And, you tried to bond with me after Tails got captured. I felt done with you at that point. Despite that, I was thinking how you guys weren't so bad at all, as in you're not on Eggman's level of evil or domination. But to go ahead and say _that_ to me sounds like you're just trying to be safe to avoid danger."

Orbot sighed. "That is only part of the truth, Sonic. But the other deal is that we're following his orders. We're just given trivial tasks as we watch the boss slowly progress his work."

"Oh, you mean about his plan on letting me perish?"

"It's not like we hate it. We're just used to listening to him," Cubot shrugged.

"However, it has gotten onto our nerves whenever it involved them mistreating you."

Sonic maintained his glare at them. He was irate and conflicted that he didn't respond.

With a monotone beep, Orbot stared at the ground. "We'll just get you another tray of food."

"And we'll make sure not to give you eggs this time," said Cubot.

"But we'll also leave with one last message: looks can be deceiving. You never know the truth until it dawns upon you."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

To his frustration, they digressed without responding. Sonic's legs shook. His irritated face softened into a tired expression as he gave up talking. He hopped back to the bench and laid his head against the cold wall. After what transpired from Infinite, he felt as if he completely lost his rationality. He then took out his anger on Cubot and Orbot. Thinking about that, he was somewhat regretful for lashing out to them.

Now, all he could do was sit in solitude. He really wanted to get out of here.

But there was no escape. Not from here. Not even from virtual reality. Sonic was stuck in an endless loop of anguish.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Our blue hero went through a set of nightmares in Infinite's realm of Virtual Reality (explained in the PCN). The two visions ended with a horrible outcome for Tails. He did die in Ch. 2, but he was used to mess with Sonic's head as he was alive in both dreams. Subsequently, Sonic was close to reaching the brink of insanity. Suddenly that option for revenge doesn't sound too bad, huh?_

 _Anyways, we're going to return to the Resistance's hideout as the different parties will regroup themselves. Plus, Raff talks about his backstory since the rise of the Eggman Empire. And, he'll recognize a face he hasn't seen in months..._

 _Stay tuned for Ch. 9 of the Revengeful Resistance. Don't forget to review your thoughts and follow/favorite for more updates. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _One of Infinite's abilities is trapping people in a virtual reality projection to recognize other characters in a negative way. This was another test to drive Sonic mad._

 ** _(2):_** _Most of the interaction between Infinite and Sonic were from their second encounter of the game, taking place in the Mystic Jungle. For this story, their second encounter is set in the Death Egg to transition into the virtual reality world, only with some major differences and darker scenes as shown above._

 ** _(3):_** _This might remind you of the plot from the Game Gear version of Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Generally speaking, Eggman kidnapped Tails and coerced Sonic to bring him the Chaos Emeralds to free him. And on top of that, there's a bad ending. In fact, the only ending in this cutscene. (God, I'm so cruel to Tails even though he's one of my favorites.)_

 ** _(4):_** _Ever heard of Eggland's Best? Not in this fanfic. It's all about **Eggman's** Best. Regardless, they're both associated to eggs._


	9. Ch 9: Crying with the Wolves

_A/N: __Welcome back to RR! I've gotten some reviews on the last chapter where a couple of you actually admired the darkness I implemented. I also received a couple more from Ch. 2 where we saw the unfortunate happen to one of my favorite Sonic characters. It is a shame, yes, but like I said, if you continue reading, maybe something will surprise you._

 _Regardless, I want to thank MelGamingPlays, Infinite's Ruby, Alexandria Prime, prowerboy, SpiderDom321, Tiger of Darkness, and Black Twilight Wolf for your reviews! This is already over **30+** right now, and I hope to encourage more to let me know what you think of this dark tale so far. Additionally, thanks for over **2,200** hits! Now let's get back to the story!_

 ** _*NOTE:_** ** _This chapter has been re-edited, and a new PCN is added._**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic and all other content/property is respectively owned by Sega. This particular rewrite and my OCs are the only things I take credit for._

* * *

 **Chapter 9:** Crying with the Wolves

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Since Knuckles left the headquarters, he wanted to find Silver to get an update on his progress. The white-furred hedgehog told the Commander that he was examining their allies who have been trying to repair Green Hill Zone from all the sand and the desert landscape that encompassed this once pristine location. The echidna ran down one of the green hills, which was very reminiscent of how Sonic use to explore this region back when he pursued Eggman and he freed the kidnapped animals from his robotic capsules.

"Man, if only we knew where he was right now. This is ironically one of those times where I actually need to rely on his help. I've always denied or thought I was strong and capable enough. But since Eggman took things over with his empire _and_ captured Sonic, things haven't been the same before all this madness. Has it really been six months?"

Knuckles needed to shake off his stressful thoughts. He later took flight as he extended his fists forward, hovering over the grass and sand. Down below, he saw tons of animals taking cover behind piles of sandbags or hiding within the trees and bushes as they observed the zone, watching out for Eggman's legion or any other potential danger. Some had weapons in their hands, ranging from the Wispons his team built to laser cannons and high-quality guns.

"Where he is?" Knuckles then spotted Silver standing in the shade of a palm tree, talking to a dark brown dog with a military helmet. "Finally, I found him!" He lowered himself to the grass before walking over to him.

Silver soon noticed his appearance. "Okay, sir. Thanks for your help." He turned to the Commander. "Knuckles! What are you doing here? I thought you were going to camp out at the HQ."

"I was. Then, Amy requested that she wanted to do something rather than stay low and cooped up in that dirty room. So, I sent her off to Red Gate to pick up information on how the city is faring. As for our hideout, I kind of needed to walk out of there and get some fresh air, as well as to find you. Plus, the thing hasn't been cleaned in over two months since we continued to lose motivation as Eggman got stronger."

"I'll say. That place smells like a skunk died in there. Or some other wild critter."

Knuckles gulped at the 'd' word. "Hey, um, Silver, what were you talking about with that dog earlier?"

"Oh, you mean Spot?" he referred to the same soldier. Other than his brown fur, the canine combatant had a white, circular patch of fur around the area of his right eye. Hence, he was named that. "He was drawing out plans with his crew to wipe out the weaker bots of Eggman's army. I think they're trying to reclaim this land after they just got it back. Thus, the team here is going to defend Green Hill."

"I see..."

"They may not be strong enough to take on Eggman's main allies, but they're doing whatever they can to fight back. The main point is that they're not going to give up."

"That's something I admire, at least."

"Unfortunately, none of the soldiers were able to find a way to attack Eggman's most powerful associate."

"You mean the one who defeated Sonic?"

"Exactly," his face turned cross and sour.

"Hmm..." Knuckles crossed his arms and looked down. "I just don't know how that fiend was able to trounce him compared to the others. Metal is basically an exact robotic copy of him. Shadow has shown to match his speed at times, but Sonic managed to usually outduel him if they ever fight. Chaos 0 is nothing like Perfect Chaos. And Zavok has a tendency to be overconfident like Sonic, except he's more aggressive, deceiving, relentless, and not a smart thinker. But that guy, whoever he was... There has to be something about him. The question is, what is it?"

"I wish I could answer that question for you. But whatever kind of power that strange creature is possessing, it's likely the reason why he was able to overpower Sonic. We're just grateful that he's not dead... yet."

"Have there been any other casualties so far?"

Silver frowned. "We recently had two injured: a male, teenage coyote and an adult, female bunny. From what they explained, a random Badnik came out of nowhere and attacked them. Luckily, they weren't severely harmed. But nonetheless, we had to take them to the outdoor infirmary, just a couple miles south from here. No new deaths were reported, thank Chaos. But we're still at a disadvantage."

The Commander bit his lower lip, staring out into the expanse as a gigantic worm slithered above and below the sandy surface.

"By the way, how's the rest of the team doing?" the hedgehog wondered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Like I mentioned earlier, I made Amy head over to Red Gate. The thing is though, she said she'd report back to me whenever she got there. I would presume she would be there already. Now I'm starting to somewhat regret my decision."

"I think she'll be fine. What about the Chaotix and Savage?"

"They did report to me from their mission in the Chemical Plant Zone. Savage worked well Vector, Espio, and Charmy. Well, not so much with the last of them. But regardless, the four did reach the end of the Spaceport to steal a shuttle. As of right now, they're returning to home base as soon as possible. The quicker we get situated, the faster we'll be able to save Sonic."

"Sounds like we're making progress. So, how are we setting up the rescue plan?"

"I was thinking we should discuss it with everyone once they've returned."

"Okay. Just let me talk to Spot so he can let everyone know that I'll be leaving with you. Oh, yeah! I almost forgot to mention. Blaze might arrive from her kingdom to help us out. **_(1)_** I told her to meet us at the hideout."

"Alright. That means we have an extra ally on our squad. Come on, let's head back."

Silver first stopped to tell Spot that he would be going with Knuckles to regroup with their team. Once he was finished, he and the echidna flew back to Red Gate where their secret headquarters was located.

* * *

 _Location: Outside of Red Gate City_

Outside the edge of the fragmented city, the shuttle that Savage and the Chaotix stole from the Spaceport was getting close to landing near the base. A few crew members of the Resistance were piloting the controls while Vector, Espio, and Charmy laid back on a cushioned bench and relaxed with a couple of Chao Cola bottles in their hands. They felt like they deserved to treat themselves when they managed to salvage Chemical Plant from Eggman's minions and took the shuttle as they were close to rescuing the Blue Blur.

Vector chugged half of his soft drink. "Aah! Such a refreshing way to cool off from our hard work!"

"Cheers to that! I love sugar rushes!" Charmy flipped in circles, his cola flew out of his bottle. Some drops fell to the floor while more got onto the purple chameleon.

"Hey, don't get so hyper. You're spilling some of your drink," Espio wiped his face off.

Other members were also giving each other cheers with their drinks as they awaited their landing. However, the only one who wasn't in the mood to talk or celebrate was Savage. Since he asked Espio to leave him be, he remained silent, staring out the window throughout the entire duration of the flight. No one decided to talk to him because he wanted some peace and quiet. They didn't want to risk getting yelled at in case he flipped out, nor do they want to make him uncomfortable. Until he was ready to speak again, not a single person kept in touch with the wolf.

When Charmy went over to chat with some of the other animals, Vector leaned over near Espio to whisper to him. "He's still down in the dumps?"

The chameleon slightly shrugged. "Based on the tone of his voice when I talked to him, he's a bit depressed, maybe a bit mad, too. After all, he told us that Dr. Eggman basically destroyed his family, especially when he got alienated from his little brother."

"I thought that creepy, dark guy who beat Sonic was the one who caused them to separate."

"That is true. But he's associated with Eggman, which is why he feels more animosity towards him rather than whoever that beast was."

Vector looked back at Savage who had his elbows on his knees, and his fists were pressed against his cheeks. "Man, I never would've thought Eggman would be this ruthless. Kidnapping and torturing Sonic, murdering Tails, annihilating the entire city and almost the entire planet of Mobius..." He shook his head. "He must really be sick of losing that he went all out on this plan."

"And it all started when that creature somehow beat Sonic. I know we were going to try and stop Eggman by ourselves, even without his help for the past six months. But still, he knows a lot more about Eggman to outwit him and his robots. Without his expertise and his speed, we're sluggishly progressing to take back the worlds we lost. I don't know why, but he's like the engine to our train. We need him to chug along and have confidence in ourselves to overthrow the doctor and the empire."

"Good analogy there."

"Thanks, not like it matters though."

The two then saw Charmy fly over to the lonely wolf. He was holding an extra bottle of Chao Cola.

"Oh, no. He better not tick him off again," Vector mumbled.

"But knowing Charmy's innocence and lack of manners, we better get ready in case Savage tries to attack him."

They got off their seats and walked near the wolf, standing about five feet away from him.

"Hey, Savvy."

He looked over to the bee, but he wasn't bothered like the time Charmy called him 'Wolfie.' He went back to gazing at the window. "What is it, Charmy?"

"I was gonna say, you look a little parched. Want a drink?" he held up the unopened bottle.

Savage stretched his mouth to the side before reaching over to grab it. "Thanks," he monotonously replied. He twisted the cap and took a small sip. He immediately closed it and placed it on the floor beside him as he observed the city once again.

"You know, I might have thought you weren't much when you came into the room the first time. But after what you've done in the Spaceport, you looked like a determined hero! You were kicking the robots' butts, you run really fast, and you're very powerful at fighting! It's kind of like you're Sonic, except you're a wolf!"

"I appreciate the compliment, but I'm nothing like him."

"Oh, don't be modest."

"I'm not being modest. I'm speaking the truth."

"Why are you talking like that?"

Savage was getting frustrated as he pinched his nose. "I already told you and your friends. I fled away from my parents when Eggman attacked my old home. Since they've been captured, I haven't seen them once. After several years, I was under the impression that they were gone from this world. For good. I blamed myself for the losses, and I vowed to not let the same happen to my little brother. But because I was too cowardly and weak to even give a fighting chance, unlike Raff, I lost him. And, I'm pissed off at myself. I had to spend six miserable months in the broken ruins of Red Gate alone, trying to become strong to not only redeem my mistake and also make a difference, but to also get my vengeance. I will not back down that easily like before. Until I get my hands on that bastard, I'm going to make him pay for destroying our lives, especially mine."

"Don't you think you're going a bit overboard on this? I mean, I'm not saying that you're exaggerating, but you might be a little nuts."

He slowly turned back to Charmy with narrowed eyes. "A _little_ nuts?"

"Kind of."

"Oh, boy. We better get in there n-"

Vector stopped when Savage stood up recklessly, knocking over his Chao Cola. The glass bottle shattered, soda was spilled onto the floor, and everyone noticed.

"I tell you what's 'a _little_ nuts'. What Eggman did to me is the same thing I want to do him. And that's to murder his fucking body until he starts crying mercy, stops breathing, or his black hole of a heart stops beating. Does that sound crazy to you? Because it is! But you know what? I kind of want it to happen, because my life's already gone to shit!"

Espio and Vector ran over to separate the distance between the incensed wolf and the frightened bee.

"Savage, calm down for a second," Espio implored.

"Yeah, you're making a scene here," Vector whispered.

"Would you fuck off?!" he swore uncontrollably as he lost his temper. "You may have lost your incredible, blue hero, who's also your friend, but you idiots need to know that you can't always count on him! Something bad or stupid might happen. And guess what? It _did_ happen. And all of you, every single one of you," he pointed at the rest of the party inside the shuttle, "you people need to get off your lazy, scared butts and fight back. You guys need to be as strong and brave as Sonic! If you're hardly going to do anything about this, then you might as well surrender or die from Eggman's army. And if you think you're going to turn these words back on me, at least I was capable enough to change who I am right now! I'm not as big as a wimp like I was six months ago!"

"Dude, stop yelling! These guys have nothing to do with this! And what the heck is wrong with you? What happened to the Savage who I teamed up with back at the Spaceport?"

"Lay off, Vector."

"I think you need to be the one to end this nonsense," Espio confronted. "These animals are doing the best they can, alright? They may not be as tough as Sonic, but at least they're willing to risk their lives to do whatever it takes. Plus, they're not hotheaded unlike what we've seen from you."

"Oh, first I'm nuts, and now I'm hotheaded?"

"Yeah! And I was starting to like you, up until you got into my face," Charmy complained. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings if I did. I just wanted to cheer you up. But now you're being mean to me again!"

"Maybe if you weren't an annoying dipshit, I wouldn't be this irate."

"Savage, don't complicate things even more," Espio was disappointed at his poor behavior.

"Well maybe if you would've done something in the first place, you wouldn't have lost your family!"

"Okay, Charmy, that was probably the wrong thing to say," Vector told him.

"But it's true!"

Savage's eye twitched. Enraged, he grabbed the broken neck of the Chao Cola bottle and chucked it at the bee. Charmy ducked as the glass flew across the shuttle. It smashed into the wall, breaking into more pieces. A large chunk of glass managed to pierce a little dog's arm.

"OW!"

Savage soon realized his regrettable mistake. His temper simmered down when he saw the kid crying as blood dripped from his skin. A couple of animals huddled around the dog as they quickly tended him with a first aid kit.

Then, a black, male bear glowered at the orange wolf. "What's wrong with you?!"

Savage started to hyperventilate. "I... I didn't mean to-"

"How could you do such a thing?" a light pink, female rabbit queried.

"He's only a kid!" a purple hedgehog girl yelled.

"You try to lecture us for not being heroic, but you go ahead and do _this_?! You selfish, horrific mongrel!" a yellow, male duck scolded.

Savage blinked repeatedly as he felt extremely guilty. Vector and Espio, who were initially annoyed by his ire, stared at him with shock. Not anger, but shock. Charmy had more of a scared expression since he was recently in the line of getting hurt. He was afraid Savage might do something worse than what he just did.

But instead, the wolf felt something. Something he hadn't done in years. He felt tears in his eyes.

"I... I'm sorry..." he shuddered with a hushed voice. He zipped past the Chaotix to run over to the bathroom. He tried to ignore the creatures glaring at him after his intolerable action. He locked himself inside, panting against the door before sliding down onto the floor.

Vector, Espio, and Charmy went over to the bathroom door. The crocodile knocked twice.

"Savage, you alright?"

There was no response. But, all three heard him sob. It was by then they felt somewhat remorseful for him despite his previous outburst.

"What should we do?" Charmy asked.

Espio breathed through his nose. "Just leave him in there. He probably needs more time to shake it off. He might have been in misconduct, but the kid has had it rough."

"He still needs to apologize for what happened though."

"That is something he should do. Just not now." Espio turned to the crowd. "Listen, everyone. We apologize about the unfortunate incident. We swear, he probably didn't mean to do it in the first place. Nonetheless, it was a bad decision. But he just needs some time alone before he can get up and move on. So for now, let's just hold it off until we return to Red Gate. In the meantime, just relax for the rest of the trip."

The crew wasn't happy with the speech, but they settled down from the drama. As the little dog had his arm wrapped around in gauze, everyone went to a state of silence. After a couple of minutes, the shuttle finally landed outside the main hideout. All of them got off the shuttle except for Vector, Espio, and Charmy. They stayed behind to check up on Savage again.

"Savage?" Vector knocked on the bathroom once more. "Are you okay to talk now?"

The wolf didn't respond until ten seconds later. "Not really. _Sniff_. Can I please have more time alone?"

"Whatever you wish," Espio shook his head, but not in disappointment. He understood Savage's dilemma.

"If it makes you feel better, I'm sorry that I made you mad. But I didn't feel the same way when you threatened me," Charmy mumbled.

"Meet us in the HQ when you're ready to talk again," said Vector.

" _Sniff_. Okay."

The Chaotix gave each other grim looks before they exited the shuttle, leaving one depressed wolf alone to himself.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Amy swiped her ID card and tapped a couple buttons on the keypad to unlock the entrance. She walked inside the main room with Raff, Rouge, and Omega. They were soon met with Knuckles and Silver who came back from Green Hill.

"Amy! Glad to see you're back." The echidna then noticed the new faces, even though he knew two of them. "Rouge! And Omega!"

"It's been quite some time since I've seen you, Knuckles. And Silver, it's a surprise to see you here."

"Well, of course I'm here, Rouge. I had to prevent the future from falling under the destruction of whatever ensued. And Eggman had to be the source of all this mayhem."

"So, anything happened at Red Gate?"

"Yes, Knuckles. I went over to the square to find Rouge mending up Omega. Then suddenly, Chaos appeared out of nowhere! Rouge and I tried to fight him, but we eventually got trapped. And then, _he_ came to our rescue!"

"Who's 'he'?" Silver tilted his head as he stood next to Knuckles.

"This little guy!" Amy brought Raff in front of her and patted his shoulders. "Guys, this is Raff the Wolf. Raff, these are some of my friends."

"H-Hi..." he gave a small wave.

"Nice to meet you, Raff. I'm Knuckles, the Commander of the Resistance. And this is Silver, a hedgehog who teleported to our present time from the future."

"Wow. How does that work?"

"Long story," Silver replied. "But going back to you guys, what happened after Chaos attacked? And how is Omega running again?"

"That's where the little guy came in to help," answered Rouge. "To be honest, he was pretty handy when he managed fix Omega up. Now we're back to two-thirds of Team Dark. All that's missing is Shadow, who is unfortunately on Eggman's side."

"We have major news, regarding Sonic's whereabouts."

"Oh, yeah! That's right! Omega found out where Sonic is being held captive," said Amy.

"Really?!" Silver exclaimed. "That's the first time we heard some great news around here!"

"Where is he?" Knuckles requested an immediate answer.

Omega entered the circle as everyone turned to him. "My sensors indicated that the blue hedgehog is held captive and alive over the last six months inside the Death Egg. Dr. Eggman has been waiting for this long to show Sonic his completed empire."

Knuckles clenched his fists. "The Death Egg's been rebuilt? Ugh, of course he would manage to pull that off again."

"The nerve of him. How dare he does that to Sonic?!" Silver spat in disgust.

"I still can't shake the thought of him being tortured throughout that duration. He must be absolutely exhausted and miserable to this day," Amy shook her head and solemnly looked at the floor.

"Don't worry, Amy. It's okay," Raff tried to console her.

"There's more to this news," Omega continued. "The doctor is preparing to banish him into space so he would be permanently terminated from this planet."

"What?!" everyone shouted.

"When did you hear that?" Silver asked.

"I just received note of this as soon as we just entered the HQ." Knuckles and Silver looked at Omega with disbelief.

"We were never aware of this until now. Honest!" Amy mentioned.

"I can't believe this. Torturing Sonic to just pass the time as his army takes over the majority of the world? That's low, even for Eggman," Knuckles pounded his namesakes together.

"Are Rookie and the Chaotix back with the shuttle already?" Silver questioned.

Conveniently, the front door opened again. Everyone turned to see Espio, Charmy, and Vector run inside.

"Hey! The party's all here! Even Rouge and Omega, back on Team Dark again, I see!" the crocodile wheezed.

"Vector! Espio! Charmy! You guys got the shuttle?" Knuckles asked.

"Sure did, boss!" Charmy gave a thumbs-up.

"Wait a minute. Where's Rookie?"

"He'll be in here in a bit. He just needs some time alone, that's all," Espio explained. "What's going on here?"

"Omega was telling us about Sonic's location of imprisonment!" Raff told them.

"What?! So you know where he is?"

"Yeah. He's in the Death Egg," Knuckles narrowed his eyes.

"The Death Egg?! Oh, man. That's not good," Vector put a hand on his head.

"None of this is good, Vector. That's why it's called 'war'. And we're still currently losing by a lot. But maybe, most likely, things could turn around for us now that we have all we need. We got the shuttle to fly up to the Death Egg, and we know that Sonic is somewhere inside. If we can get him out as quickly as possible, before Eggman tries to dispatch him for good, then our strongest, fearless member will help us lead the Resistance to finally fight back!"

Charmy did a double take. "Wait. Did you say that Eggman's wanting to send Sonic away?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"That's absolutely terrible!" Espio growled.

"By the way, we never seen him before," Vector pointed at the small wolf. "Who is this guy?"

"He kind of looks like the rookie!" Charmy whispered to Espio, to which he agreed with a head nod.

"Chaotix, this is Raff the Wolf," Amy introduced. "He has offered to help us in the Resistance. Raff, this is Vector, Espio, and Charmy."

"It's nice to meet you all."

"Same to you, kid! But where did you come from?" Vector wondered.

"See, that's the thing. I actually have something to explain to Amy and Rouge. But I might as well tell everyone else who's part of the main team."

"Okay, Raff. Go ahead," Rouge urged. "You did mention that you knew about the Death Egg? So can you further elaborate?"

The red wolf took a deep breath. "Alright. Here goes. Six months ago, I was in the Red Gate City's square with my older brother. He's a wolf like me, but taller and more orange than red."

The way Raff described his sibling sounded familiar to a certain someone. Some of the people inside the HQ took notice, but they let him continue speaking.

"At the time Eggman attacked, we were huddled near a wall with a couple of other animals as we saw Tails fight off the Egg Pawns. By the time Sonic joined the party, we were safely evacuating the area. But as we left, we heard from a stranger that Sonic was defeated by Eggman thanks to some strange person...

"From what she learned from Rouge, Amy told me that this new ally of Eggman's is a black jackal named Infinite. There also seemed to be something red and powerful stuck to his chest, too...

"Well, at the same time when my brother and I were trying to escape, we got stuck at a broken road where a large gap was in our way with another road down below. Then we saw Infinite and a bunch of Egg Pawns cornering us. Out of instinct, I pushed my brother over the gorge, and the jackal kidnapped me. I haven't seen my big brother since."

Suddenly, the Chaotix were stunned that Raff's backstory ultimately matched Savage's, except it was told in a different perspective. Nonetheless, they started to piece together that these two wolves were part of the same family.

"I was taken to the Death Egg as one of their hostages, with Sonic being the main guest as he was detained in his own prison. I didn't get a chance to see him since I was locked up with several other captives. We heard rumors that Sonic was tortured in various ways. I know for a fact that Eggman and a couple of the enemies forced him into a tank full of water."

Amy gasped. "What?! That's horrifying!"

"Of course Eggman would do something like that," Knuckles crossed his arms.

"There may have been other forms of punishments, but I don't know how else he would've suffered. But I can only imagine the stress and pain he was put in."

"But how did you escape the Death Egg?" Silver wondered.

"I'm getting there. I formed a plan with the prisoners in my cell. One of the security robots had a pair of nunchucks and a remote to open the gates to all the prisons except Sonic's. Unfortunately, his jail had his own button. Even if I did use the remote, Sonic would still be stuck inside. But my plan was to allow as many innocent people to leave that hellscape so we can find a way to overthrow Eggman. Back to the security guard, I was able to sneak my hand past the bars to grab his nunchucks and the remote."

"So that's why you had those when you encountered Chaos," Rouge realized.

"Right. Anyways, Jake the Hedgehog, a friend I made during our captivity, was able to distract the guy as I whipped the nunchucks to his face to immobilize him. That was our chance to escape as fast as we could. Everyone was sprinting through the halls to find a way out. However, the security alarm went off instantly when we opened the cells. We reached a room with tons of survival capsules that would send them back to Mobius. Each capsule could only hold one person, and there were no more than a hundred. Those who were fast and lucky were able to flee. I was one of them. But anyone who got caught while escaping or didn't make it in time were sent back to jail."

"What about your friend, Jake?" Charmy asked.

Raff sighed. "He didn't make it. He was very close to one of them. Then, he tripped. I was about to go back to help, but he begged me to leave as the robots got him. I didn't want to at first, but I had no choice. I'll admit, I felt selfish to spare my life. Regardless, I wanted to do something by the time I returned home. I still had the nunchucks with me, and I stayed low in Red Gate to try to find my brother. Since I couldn't, I was all alone until I was able to help out someone. That's when I stepped in to fight Chaos when he seized Amy and Rouge. And now, here I am."

Everyone took a while to take in Raff's story. But Charmy, Vector, and Espio seem to be the only ones who knew something that the rest didn't.

"Listen, Raff," Knuckles stepped forward. "I understand that you've been through a lot, and I appreciate you for helping our friends. But this is a dangerous task to handle. You may be young, but you seem to have experience in fighting. Nonetheless, the last thing I want for someone like you is to be hurt."

"I promise I'll do my best to be safe. I want to do anything to help out the Resistance. Besides, I'm nine years old. But I know that Tails is eight, and he's always been on your side. That is until... well, you guys already know."

Everyone's heart sank at his statement. Omega didn't have feelings, but he recognized their emotional distress.

"Um, Raff?" Amy got his attention.

"Yes, Amy?"

"You know about Tails?"

"Yeah... His death, who killed him, how it happened. I'm terribly sorry for you all." **_(2)_**

"It's not your fault, Raff," Amy sniffled. "We've hardly moved on, but we need to if we want to focus on our main task."

"And that's to rescue Sonic from the Death Egg," grunted Knuckles. "Raff, I'm going to ask you this once to confirm. Are you sure you want to join the Resistance?"

Raff gave a nod. "I want to."

"Alright. Welcome aboard, Raff."

The wolf smiled as he was ready for the future. But what he wasn't ready for were the people coming into the HQ.

The door opened to reveal two figures. Silver greeted one of them instantly.

"Blaze! Great to see you!"

"Silver! Glad I could make my way here," the purple cat hugged him.

"How did you get in here? You don't even have an ID card."

"Oh, I got in thanks to the guy I ran into on my way here," she referred to the other individual who entered the headquarters.

"Rookie!" Knuckles stepped forward. "What took you so long?"

"I'm sorry, Commander," he rubbed his glasses. "It was some personal business of mine. Although, I need to say something to the Chaotix."

Raff's heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds. That voice. He knew only one person who had it. He couldn't see him since Vector, Espio, and Charmy were in front of him. But he heard him speak again.

"Guys, I want to apologize for my erratic behavior. I never meant for my temper to boil like that, and I hope it doesn't happen again. I already went to the other animals and apologized in front of all their faces, especially the kid I hurt. Some were indifferent, a few have forgiven me, and the others couldn't care less. Either way, I just thought you should know this. And again, I'm sorry for what I did and for disrespecting you back on the shuttle."

"It's okay, Savage," Espio acknowledged. "You're forgiven. Right, guys?"

"Yeah. You're good," Charmy gave him a small smile.

"No worries, man," Vector reassured.

"Thanks. I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to be alone again."

"Wait, Savage. There's something you should know."

"What is it?"

"Well, it's rather some _one_ instead of some _thing_ ," Espio corrected.

He raised an eyebrow. "So, who is it?"

"Savage?"

The orange wolf froze. He heard something familiar for the first time in over six months. He thought he was dreaming or going crazy. But, when the Chaotix moved out of the way, Savage saw his little brother standing in the middle of the lab. There was absolute silence. And Savage was in complete shock.

Amy blinked when he noticed the resemblance of the two wolves. She felt stupid for not realizing the truth until now. The only ones who didn't seem to get the picture were Knuckles, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, and Omega. But they soon found out.

"R-R-Raff?" the teenager stuttered.

"Savage... I'm back..."

Savage didn't waste more time and ran over to give his little sibling a large hug. The two held in each other in their arms with the older wolf leaning down, his chin resting on top of Raff's head.

"Raff... It really is you... I missed you so much."

"I missed you, too. I can't believe you're here."

Savage felt the waterworks coming down again, and Raff did the same as he was fulfilled with joy now that he got his big brother back. Amy clasped her hands and admired the sight. The Chaotix all had smiles on their faces, too.

"What did I miss?" Blaze whispered to Silver.

"It's a long story, and even I don't know much. From the looks of it though, I presume it's a family reunion long overdue."

Forming an 'o' with her mouth, Blaze remained silent with the rest of the Sonic team as the wolves embraced their moment. The two stayed there for a whole minute before releasing each other. Savage ruffled the fur on top of Raff's head.

"Are you okay, Savage?"

The rookie wiped his tears behind his glasses. "I am now. How about you?"

"I'm better than ever. And don't worry. I didn't really get hurt."

"Thank goodness. But, how did you even get here? It's been so damn long since you saved me."

"I guess I better tell the story again, if the others don't mind."

Knuckles shook his head, indicating that he didn't. "Go ahead, Raff. I'm sure Savage deserves to know, too."

"Alright, here we go again."

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Six months since the separation of the Wolf brothers, Savage and Raff have reunited at long last. Now that the main group of the Resistance has reassembled, they must plan out who will be riding the shuttle to the Death Egg to break Sonic out of prison. As for the blue hedgehog, will he escape his hellish experience, or will he be doomed to die in space?_

 _Please review your thoughts down below, and don't hesitate to offer constructive criticism for any mistakes or errors I've made. Follow and favorite the story if you want to catch up on more chapters. And until we meet again, I'll see you all in Ch. 10 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Blaze was not featured in the main plot of Sonic Forces, but I decided to let her join the Resistance. She did have a friendly relationship with Silver in Sonic '06, even though he's from the future. Just ignore the discrepancy because they've both been in a couple of the same Sonic games. (I mentioned this in New Brotherhood before: my knowledge to the Sonic series is not great. And to this day, I still don't know how the Sonic universe and their timelines make sense.)_

 ** _(2):_** _I didn't realize until much later that what I wrote in Ch. 10 negated the idea that Raff was unaware of Tails' death. Because of that, I took out most of the dialogue here and changed it._


	10. Ch 10: Hurtful Memories

_A/N:_ _I want to thank Infinite's Ruby, SpiderDom321, MelGamingPlays, Tiger of Darkness, Alexandria Prime, Dayman, chris, and the two Guests for helping this story reach **60 reviews**! And now, we return to Revengeful Resistance where we'll delve into some of the thoughts of the Wolf brothers. __Also, there are some scenes that may sound unsettling, just want to warn you guys._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I don't own anything related to Sonic whatsoever. I only take credit for this rewrite and my OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter 10:** Hurtful Memories

 _~Savage's POV_

I just couldn't believe it. Even though it's been at least a minute since I saw his face for the first time in over six months, I remained baffled. Speechless. Staggered. Remember that time where I mention how you could list any word to describe the Chaos that is the rise of the Eggman Empire? Well, the same could be said to define this moment where I reunited with Raff. But there was only one word that I truly described myself at this time.

Relieved.

After releasing myself from the hug, I ruffled the fur on his head. Immediately, Raff looked at me with a bit of concern.

"Are you okay, Savage?"

Because of my emotions, I had to take off my glasses and rub the tears away from my different colored eyes. This was the second time today that I cried. Only in this case, it was a joyful experience knowing that my little brother was alive and well.

"I am now," I genuinely replied. After a gruesome six months, I was able to feel happiness again. "How about you?"

"I'm better than ever. And don't worry. I didn't really get hurt."

Frankly, his statement made me think otherwise, probably because of my overprotectiveness. Am I really that cautious when it comes to Raff's safety? I don't think I need to answer that for you.

Just so I don't stress things out and make it awkward with everyone in the same room, I replied with a simple response. "Thank goodness. But, how did you even get here? It's been so damn long since you saved me." Again, pardon my language.

"I guess I better tell the story again, if the others don't mind."

Catching a glance at the Resistance's commander, Knuckles shook his head to show that he was okay with his appeal. "Go ahead, Raff. I'm sure Savage deserves to know, too."

Raff gave me another quick look, and I nodded my head to let him talk. "Alright, here we go again."

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Raff's POV_

 _..._

 _~Flashback: Six months ago_

 _..._

 _Location: Death Egg_

This was an absolute nightmare. After being taken away by that dark creature that attacked Sonic, no less defeated him, the city of Red Gate... No, the country of... Take that back... The _entire planet_ of Mobius has been lost and taken over by the evil Dr. Eggman.

In three words, it was Chaos.

I was stuck inside the Death Egg along with many others who were captured in the city or from other places around the world. All of us were frightened, worried, and stressed out. We didn't know what to do. We were only regular people. We're nothing like the great, heroic Sonic. All of us couldn't fight back because we were neither strong nor brave to get out of this situation. And if we did try to resist their orders, escape, or even dare to retaliate, they would not hold back.

In this situation, to reiterate, it was Chaos.

Animals and critters were being separated from their family members and friends, tortured, and last of all, imprisoned. We were stuffed in these high security jail cells with different kinds of people. And the main reason why Eggman and his team wanted us was for the same motive he had when he kidnapped several animals in South Island.

Roboticization.

One simple mistake would cost us everything. We would no longer be able to think coherently or go back to our normal lives. It's happened to hundreds of them, more than I could count. What I couldn't tell was if death was worse than this. Even though I hardly knew any of the prisoners, I was devastated to see them transform from a normal being to a possessed minion of Eggman's army. Alongside devastation and sadness, I expressed fury.

To be on the safe side, the rest of us were forced to listen to whatever they said. No matter how gruesome or tough it was to spend the six months here, there was no other choice but to deal with it. And that was nothing but hell. We hated whenever we had to follow their commands. But we also loathed the idea of losing our minds and falling that easily to the putrid doctor.

Dictatorship. Something that I do not and will not condone.

Nearly a month after the invasion in Red Gate, Dr. Eggman announced some terrible news (or in his case, excellent) from the loudspeakers inside the gigantic space station. But the announcement was for everyone, including the survivors who managed to escape Eggman's legion of bad guys. Especially to a group that Eggman pointed out. Something called the Resistance.

 _"Ahem! Testing, one, two, one, two. To the innocent people of this splendid world: I am Dr. Eggman, owner of great intellect and the man who will be your ruler. I hope all of you wonderful creatures, old and young, will enjoy your new home for the rest of your lives. Whether it's in the wonderful place where I secretly trapped... I mean, where I'm taking care of all the captives or on whatever ground that remains on your silly, little planet, you'll have to face the music..._

 _"And as for the so-called 'Resistance'... I heard that you're forming up this lousy group to try and overthrow me and my Eggman Empire that I've successfully developed. Well, I have one message for you, and I'll keep it plain and simple..._

 _"Just give up already and surrender..._

 _"Already, I rule over 99% of the world. And even your precious, well-known, everyday hero, Sonic the Hedgehog, fell before you! Not even his nerdy, two-tailed freak of an assistant fared well either! I suggest that you put down your useless weapons, stop your pathetic battle plans, and give up. You all are only thinking of fighting to bring Mobius back to its original state. A peaceful lifestyle where you weaklings all rely on a speedy, cocky, irritating hedgehog. And that foolish echidna will lead you nowhere to change all this..._

 _"For those who haven't been captured or refused to join my side, I'll give you the option to do so. I will provide three meals per day and time to rest. In an underground prison... Erm... I mean... Uh... Hohoho! Ahem! A clean and beautiful room just waiting for you!_

 _"I hope you'll make the correct decision. That is all. OH-HOHOHOHOHO!" **(1)**_

Okay, three things to point out from here.

One, this place is not underground. It's in space. Eggman basically lied to whoever the Resistance is, along with the other innocent people down there. Chaos knows what's happened to them, including my big brother, Savage.

Two, these people hardly feed us at all. We're all starving. We were only given one meal a day throughout the first week of our confinement. It was later reduced to one meal per week. And they eventually changed it to one meal for a whole month. If any of us were desperate to beg for extra rations, they would make us do excruciating chores to make Eggman's army more powerful, such as building weapons and robots or acting as a literal servant to the damn guy. Refusal to do so would mean that we'd have to stick to the original meal plan where we just starve and allow our stomachs to growl. I only did it to survive. I wasn't happy with it though considering everything was either lukewarm or cold. Not to mention tasteless.

Only an actual idiot would fall for an offer like that. Kind of like how some guy on the internet clicks a spam email or message saying 'Hey! You're the millionth person to visit this site! Click here for a special prize!' You know what I say to that? Well, I kind of want to say it since Savage says it almost all the time. But a part of me says I shouldn't since I'm not a huge fan of cussing. I'm sure you can get the picture though.

And my third point, if I heard him correctly, he's already taken over the vast majority of Mobius? Not only that, but did Sonic and Tails _die_? How?! The townspeople, Savage, and I saw the latter fight those Egg Pawns in the square without too much trouble. Aside from one that caught his tails, Sonic was there to help him and us. By the time, Tails helped us evacuate. We would just think that it was going to be like every other moment Sonic fought against Eggman.

But we were dead wrong. Well, half wrong.

Eggman actually claimed to us that Sonic was alive. Frankly, it was the only good thing about this terrible situation. But Tails? We eventually heard about... his demise.

The worst part was seeing it with our own eyes.

When we questioned the status of Sonic, Eggman brought us a television that played a clip of the fight scene that happened exclusively between the two heroes and the enemies. With Eggman, there was a red, muscular beast, a water creature, Metal Sonic, and Shadow. I knew a lot more of the last two since they've been on-and-off in Sonic's past adventures. Chaos was in the mix of that years ago, and Zavok was a more recent enemy. But the fifth face was completely new. He didn't seem familiar to me or anyone else. Not even Sonic and Tails saw this creep before.

What played on the recording was jaw-dropping. Sonic was being tackled, punched, kicked, and bruised by his foes. I couldn't imagine Sonic losing like this until it actually transpired. We saw him on the ground at his weakest, such a rare occurrence. Eyes were barely open, head was down, fingers and hands trembling, legs were incapacitated... This was the opposite outcome compared to every other battle.

Then, we saw it. I saw it. Sonic saw it.

Shadow was slowly walking up to the fox who was caught in the hands of Chaos and Zavok. He screamed and shouted for help. But Sonic's condition proved to be severe that he couldn't get up and help Tails out. With a broken wrench in the black hedgehog's hand, he thrusted the tool into the fox's stomach.

Cringeworthy.

Calamitous.

Heart-wrenching.

Tails was unmoving with wide eyes and his mouth agape. The blue pupils rolled up into his head. Red came out at the spot, but it was quite hard to see since the camera wasn't zoomed in. Not like I wanted to see the damage up close though. Zavok and Chaos let him go as Tails landed on the concrete. Metal Sonic kicked him once, and more red was shown on his leg.

Speaking of red, why did all five adversaries, not including the doctor, have these weird red spots randomly appearing on their bodies? It was more visible on the masked figure, even with the purple smoke that surrounded him. But it was also noticeable on the rest, too. Everyone but Eggman. That made me somewhat suspicious for a moment. But the realization came back to me as the dreaded memory sunk into my brain.

Tails was dead. Sonic was defeated, yet still breathing. Barely. Eggman has risen into the powerful leader that no one needed, wanted, nor expected.

Over the next several months, we heard how Sonic was being tortured as Eggman's revenge from all those past defeats. I didn't believe it since neither me nor the prisoners saw him up close and personal. But when the malevolent man revealed us some pictures of the blue hedgehog, my heart was torn. All over his once stable body were multiple spots of dried blood on his fur and quills, bruises on his tan arms, some disturbing scars, including a laceration on his cheek and a bigger one found on his stomach, and a face full of desolation and resentment. Eggman and the bad guys must have done a number on him to make him feel miserable. It's even worse how's he detained in his own cell with rings around his wrists and shins to hinder his movement. I even saw his stomach begging for food with his ribs showing from the inside and against his skin.

Eggman really went all out on this plan to brutalize him. All within a span of a half year. Life can be so cruel, and I would be tragically unstable if I were in Sonic's shoes.

Losing to the doctor. Being taken away from the world he has known, loved, and saved throughout his life. Missing his friends and having his best buddy die...

Nearing the end of the sixth month since Sonic's defeat, I thought to myself. Enough was enough. There had to be some necessary action. Sonic needed to be saved. And the people here need their freedom. I wish the same could be said for the rest who were roboticized.

As for a young wolf like myself at the age of nine, would you expect me to do great things and handle the conflict single-handedly? Absolutely not. But can I get through it with some help? It was definitely worth a try.

Earlier, I befriended a brown-furred hedgehog named Jake. He was ten years old and about my height, a couple inches taller than Tails as a reference. He wore a green cap backwards and sported his favorite red scarf. It reminded Jake of his mother who knitted it for him. Sadly, it was the only piece of memorabilia that had some connection to his family before he got taken from Mobius.

Anyway, we both had similarities in our love for action movies, especially those where the actors take part in martial arts or some other special moves and also relied on their quick reflexes and tactful minds. Jake was more of the distraction when he kept asking the security robot questions, guiding him away from me reaching over to his nunchucks and the remote control to release the prisoners. The plan was effective as I later knocked him out with the weapon. Unfortunately, we had little to no time for the escape plan as we just busted out and ran through the hallways with red lights flashing and a loud siren going off throughout the base. The remote allowed the captives to be free, but not Sonic.

Reaching an area that had survival capsules, we had a chance to make it back home. But of course, every good situation must also have at least one con. There were only about a hundred of them in the room, and the capacity per escape pod was only one. You'd be lucky to fit two for a tight squeeze.

Jake and I were about to reach some open capsules since we escaped first and were faster than most of the hostages. However, Jake accidentally fell down one of the steps, and he was in critical pain as he twisted his ankle.

 _"Jake!"_ I cried out. As I ran back to him, the other animals were filling up the pods closest to the room's entrance.

 _"Raff! Go without me!"_

 _"What?! What are you talking about?!"_ The crowd was coming in at a rushed and disorderly fashion.

 _"You don't have time to get me up! You need to escape in your own capsule!"_

 _"There's no way I'm leaving you!"_ Was this how Savage felt when I alienated myself back at Red Gate?

 _"Raff, do what I said! I'm your friend, but you should do what's right! Don't worry about me! Worry about your own safety!"_

It's just like Savage trying to tell me to be careful of myself considering how overprotective he can be. But if it wasn't Jake in that situation and it was Savage instead, he'd probably say the same thing, and he'd die happy knowing that I was safe and alive. I wouldn't feel the same because it would mean that I was the last surviving member of my family.

Despite my lingering guilt, I gave the brown hedgehog a sorrowful look and waved goodbye to the older kid. I was lucky to get in one of the few remaining capsules. Sadly, I couldn't save the other prisoners. Who knows if most or all of them are being punished for something I did? Jake might not forgive me for this, and it hurts to think that my friend is being roboticized as I stand.

Eventually, I made my escape and I went back to Red Gate City safely, only to find the place in shambles and ruins.

Have I mentioned the word 'Chaos' already? I have? Well, time to use it again.

Weirdly, I didn't see any escapees from the Death Egg. I didn't know what to do at this point. At the time, I was only under the assumption that Savage escaped Eggman and the evil troops, and there was a decent chance that he wasn't anywhere in the city. And I wasn't sure if anyone else who I personally knew were here. The first thing I did was head back to my apartment, only to find it demolished.

Great. I'm back to being homeless again. Worst of all, I'm alone.

Then, I searched the rest of Red Gate. The restaurant Savage worked for, the Red Seagate Shack, was now a pile of wood, stone, and destroyed equipment. The library that I usually went to originally had a fire due to the charred bricks and the open roof with smoke emitting out. Every other building was partially or completely wrecked, and the city was engulfed with more flames. Those who remained here must have either fought, tried to protect their home and stand a chance against Eggman and his allies, or they're completely gone.

My stomach growled from just thinking about it, along with the lack of food I had. I don't want to dig through garbage again. And I wasn't going to beg strangers for some at a time like this. This was a struggle for the next couple of days.

Soon, I noticed some faces who used to be with Sonic. It was the pink hedgehog and the white bat. Amy and Rouge. And there's also Omega, who looked like he was shut down. But the two females seem to be in trouble when Chaos attacked them. This was my chance to help someone since I returned. Using my quick feet and the nunchucks I stole, I fought the water beast until he was gone. Helping out Amy and Rouge, I joined them and Omega to see if we could scope out the city to fight back. But with the enormous Death Egg Robots in the way, we knew this wasn't a task we were ready for. Amy led us to the Resistance HQ, which is where I am today.

And on that day, I miraculously saw Savage for the first time in nearly six months.

Now that we're together again, we're here to help our new friends who have persevered all this time to overthrow Eggman. Maybe there's a better chance I could turn things around after my selfish act back on the Death Egg. I could pay back Jake and the others by rescuing them. That is, if Eggman and the rest didn't do something horrible already.

 _~End of POV and flashback_

* * *

 _~Savage's POV_

That goddamn bastard...

How dare he does that to Sonic and the other innocents? The looks on his friends, Knuckles, Amy, and everyone else in the room, were of different emotions. Both distraught and wrathful. You could add more to the list, but that'd be superfluous.

"And that's what happened back on the Death Egg. And that's why I'm here now," Raff finished his story to me.

I clenched a fist. "We got to rescue Sonic and the other prisoners now."

Knuckles nodded to my statement. "I agree. But first, we need a plan to get Sonic and the others out of the space station before they're permanently terminated. We must decide who will go onto the shuttle to the Death Egg. Those who will stay behind will have to patrol the HQ, but we can give out any commands or battle actions if anyone needs assistance. I'll stick to that role."

"Silver and I can go out and free the captives," suggested Blaze. "I'm sure our powers will also be sufficient if we run into any foes."

"We'll definitely keep a sharp eye out for the jackal or any of Eggman's team," the white hedgehog added.

"I think we should fight the robots, too. We've done so in Chemical Plant, and we'll do it again on the Death Egg!" declared Vector.

"If we can clear most of the area, we can set up an easy escape route," said Espio.

"That way, we can guide them to the shuttle!" Charmy grinned.

"I think Omega and I have some unfinished business with Shadow since I last had contact with him. We're going to see if we can find him aboard the Death Egg and get his mind back in shape," Rouge asserted.

"It is vital to assist Shadow from continuing to work for the dark side. And that does not entail to Team Dark and G.U.N.," Omega beeped.

"I can help out with electrical wiring and mechanisms. Maybe there's a way to hack into the Death Egg's system so I can turn off the alarm."

"Raff, are you about that?" I asked him with slight hesitation.

"Don't worry, Savage. I know most of the place in and out since I was stuck there. Now, I don't have a photographic memory of the entire interior of the Death Egg, but I do know the locations of the prisoners and the escape room where all those capsules were stored. The latter should be where we can land the shuttle at for convenience's sake."

"Then I'm definitely sticking with you. I'm not risking another chance where I get separated from you, especially if it means pushing me away from danger."

"I wouldn't take a million rings over that option."

Raff's smile made me shiver. Don't get me wrong. It was so nice to see him like that. But to hear that statement from him, I'm just happy to be reunited with my little brother.

"Well, it looks like everyone has their roles. Amy, do you want to hop on the shuttle, too?"

"Actually, Knuckles, I think I'll stick with you this time."

"Are you sure? You told me earlier that you wanted to do something productive. This could be another chance for you."

"Thanks for the offer, but maybe you need an extra hand in here to help give out the protocol. And just in case someone finds our secret hideout, I don't want you to be the only one to be attacked."

The Commander gave Amy a genuine smile, acknowledging her support. "Alright, Amy. If you say so, I appreciate it."

"So, do you want us to head out to the shuttle now?" Blaze asked.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if I could have something to eat before we take off," Raff rubbed his stomach. "Eggman claimed he would give everyone three meals a day, but he made us starve by feeding us scarcely, once a day, then once per week, and then once a month. We'd have to be forced into labor for extra rations, and it's not enough for one regular course. Plus, his food was disgusting."

I cringed at the thought of Raff starving to death. It was just like the old days in Red Gate when I had to work for money to put food on our table. Add that to the list of reasons on why Eggman is going to fucking pay for all this.

Knuckles gave a low grunt, but it wasn't in frustration. "I guess you shouldn't go out on an empty stomach for such a dangerous mission like this. And since you were one of the people who were stuck there, I'll accept it. Besides, not just Raff, but all you guys need all the energy to fulfill this task. We can't afford a lot of mistakes."

"We better make it quick at least before Sonic gets thrown into space," Rouge stressed out.

I didn't know about this news. "What's going to happen?"

"Omega found out just recently about this," Amy explained to me. "He's going to send him into space soon to die."

Another reason why Eggman is heartless, and another reason I crave for vengeance.

"Come on, everybody. Fill up quickly and head out to the shuttle. We'll continue from there," urged Knuckles.

I breathed in heavily as Raff came up to me. Laying a hand on his shoulder, I tried to reassure him that I'm alright. However, he can see from my face that I was only concealing my fear within. I might have been braver than I was six months ago, but I'm still nervous from this drastic war.

"It's gonna be okay, Savage. I'll stick with you, no matter what."

"Thanks, Raff." I just hope his promise will remain true.

* * *

A while later, everyone was finishing up their food. I was chewing on an energy bar as Espio and Vector walked up to me.

"Hey, Savage? Can we talk to you for a second?"

"Yeah, sure." We walked outside the lab so we could be in private. "What's up?"

"We were kind of wondering, about the scene on the shuttle earlier," said Vector.

I frowned. Why did they have to bring that up again? "Is something wrong? Was my apology not enough?"

"No, it's not that," Espio raised his hands. "We already accepted it. But it was about your reaction to the kid being hurt. Why did you suddenly break down like that?"

" _Sigh_ , if I tell you, can we push all of this aside for good and never speak of this again? Don't even tell the others, especially Raff."

"Deal," Vector replied.

"Alright. When I was living with Raff by ourselves in Red Gate, I had... a similar incident." Vector and Espio looked like they needed more information. "I got into a fight with Raff when he kept complaining that I was bossing him around too much. It was only because I was overprotective of him because he was young and we lost our own parents. He's the only guy I had at the time, you know?

"Anyway, the conversation just got heated. We kept yelling at each other, me being inappropriate and yelling out cuss words when I shouldn't have. But I took another step that made me cross the line. I was so livid that I threatened to throw his favorite piggy bank at the wall."

"You wanted to break it?"

"Out of impulse and frustration. I know, Vector, it's fucked up. I can't stop thinking about it, especially since my tantrum on the shuttle. And that's because after I did throw it against the wall, it cracked into pieces. Then, a shard of it cut right into Raff's skin, just like how the glass from the soda bottle pierced the dog."

Seeing their reactions made me feel worse about myself. I had to stare at the ground to avoid their surprised faces.

"I immediately realized what I did was immature and wrong of me. And Raff... Well, let's just say I heard him say the words 'I hate you' in front of me for the first time since I knew him. He ran into his room and slammed the door, crying his eyes out. For some reason though, I didn't bawl like he did. Instead, I was furious at my poor behavior."

Reluctantly, I showed the crocodile and the chameleon something beneath my fur. Just below my gloved hand, found on my left wrist, were two individual slashes.

"Savage... You didn't..." Espio gasped.

I nodded my head. "Self-mutilation. I punished myself for being a poor role model and a horrible big brother to him. That's because I suffered depression throughout my life after we lost our parents."

"Does Raff know about this?" questioned Vector.

"He did. And immediately, he wanted me to stop because he knew I was taking this situation way out of hand. He accepted my apology, but I didn't deserve it. I promised I wouldn't do it again. But... I broke it after spending the last six months training myself, just before I joined the Resistance." I revealed more cuts on my stomach.

"Oh my god..."

"So, the moment where you fought and hurt Raff was a terrible memory, and you sort of relived it when you unintentionally hurt the dog?" Espio realized.

"That's right," I bit my lip. I could've sworn my teeth went so deep that blood was about to leak out.

"Ouch, man. I'm sorry for you, Savage."

"No need to, Vector. It's my own damn fault for being unable to keep my emotions in check. And I'm just somewhat thankful the dog was able to apologize, just like Raff did years ago."

The two didn't respond after that, but they seemed to understand what I went through. I have to thank them for being kind to me since I worked with them in Chemical Plant.

"Hey, thanks for helping me get that off my chest. I kind of needed an icebreaker like that to alleviate that stress and tension."

"Are you feeling better?" Espio asked for confirmation.

"I believe so."

"Hey, Espio! Vector! Savage! There you are!" Knuckles came out to find us. "The guys are on the shuttle now! We're about to initiate the launch!"

"Oh, shoot. Sorry, Knuckles. I mean, Commander."

"I told you before, Rookie. Just call me Knuckles. And you're fine. Let's just get this over with as soon as possible. Sonic and the hostages need our help."

The three of us ran back to the ship as Knuckles returned to the HQ with Amy. The remaining team members were already inside, waiting for the aircraft to start. Silver and the Chaotix piloted the controls and waited for Knuckles to give them the signal.

"Alright, Resistance! Good luck out there!" he announced through our communicators.

It was that time. We're on our way to salvage the one who has saved this world countless times. Sonic the Hedgehog, we're gonna break you out of hell.

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _The Resistance is on their way to the Death Egg to commence their annexation. They'll have to find Sonic and any of the surviving prisoners to escape the orbital fortress and avoid Dr. Eggman and his league of villains. Sonic's close to freedom, but how is he feeling right now?_

 _Please follow/favorite for more uploads, review down below to let me know what you think of this chapter, tell me if I've made any mistakes, and I'll see you next time when the prison breakout begins. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _This speech was from a video of Eggman's message of capitulation, advising the Resistance to surrender to his Eggman Empire. The audio (from what I presumed) was in Japanese, but there were translated subtitles to supplement it. I added extra dialogue to suit with the situation in this rewrite and to make it somewhat different to the original._


	11. Ch 11: Death Egg Escape (Part 1)

_A/N:_ _I'm planning to split Sonic's breakout into two parts for a few reasons. Besides Zavok, I'll be implementing some of the other enemies in here for some fights over these next few chapters. I felt that they were inadequate based on their roles and appearances in Forces, especially Chaos. _

_Secondly, I want everyone to get a piece of the action, not just the Avatar. I'd rather wait until Ch. 12 for Sonic to be free when he faces Zavok and reunites with some of the heroes. I hope everyone's okay with that._

 _Lastly, thanks for waiting on this chapter. Let's return to Revengeful Resistance._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I don't own anything but this particular rewrite and my OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter 11:** Death Egg Escape (Part 1)

 _Location: Death Egg_

A loud, growling sound echoed inside the barred chamber. A low grunt followed afterwards.

"Shut up, stomach," the detained hedgehog grumbled to himself. He was currently resting on the cold bench with his eyes closed and his hands over his scarred chest.

It was yet another day where the fastest thing alive continued to starve in his home that he was put in for half a year. Like the other prisoners who were stuck in the space fortress, Sonic was only given food once a day for the first week. Then, the rations decreased where he was fed once a week, which then changed to once a month. But if he ever irked Dr. Eggman, even in the slightest considering he was ill-tempered, Sonic would be forced to skip his monthly meal. It happened only once during the fourth month. At that time, he had gotten used to not eating for a long time that he didn't care. He was still having nightmares of Tails' cries of despair.

During Sonic's imprisonment, Eggman initially had the thought of neglecting his most hated nemesis by never nourishing him. Instead, he decided to prolong his captivity as the days went by. Plus, the doctor wanted to keep him alive so he could witness his empire built to completion.

Slowly but surely, the percentage of how much land the doctor had taken over with the help of his troops grew from a minuscule amount to a near-perfect triumph as he had dominated all but the Resistance's sanctuary. However, Team Eggman went slightly down to approximately 99%, not like it was a big deal since it decreased by not even a full percentage point.

Meanwhile, Sonic was unaware of how Mobius was faring, especially his friends who he hasn't heard from over the last six months. Except for that one time when Eggman delivered a message to a group named the Resistance. He referenced Knuckles at one point, which was particularly odd to Sonic since he didn't seem to possess the kind of traits a leader would have, besides a hint of bravery and strength. But the guy was pretty gullible and hotheaded most of the time, alongside the occasional moments where he was a complete goofball. However, if it meant that he was still alive with the rest of his friends, and if they were making some progress to try and save the planet, then there was at least a glimmer of hope.

It did sound okay to hear that the others were still alive. At the moment though, everything seemed bleak for Team Sonic. And besides, Eggman was an unpredictable man. He could do anything that might surprise him or the others. The last thing Sonic wanted was having another one of his friends suffer an unfortunate casualty.

"Knuckles, Amy, everyone... I really hope you're still fighting strong..."

Another growl bellowed from his stomach. Sonic sighed heavily. When Cubot and Orbot stopped by yesterday with his monthly meal, he remained frustrated. After he threw away the eggs, they substituted with a somewhat moldy apple, a dry slice of bread, and a small cup of water. Not only was he aggravated, he was also hungry since he hardly consumed the savorless food.

He later shifted his mind to last night, the time when he got tortured by Infinite alone. Sonic managed to get a good look at him before he left the room. He was a few inches shorter than him, his yellow eye was sort of eerie to stare at, and his presence seemed dangerous. The center of attention was the thing on his chest. It was like some jewel stuck there. Or rather half-fused inside. Either way, Sonic thought that whatever he had was the source of energy that's given him the power to hurt him, teleport, and cause Virtual Reality, which was what he experienced as his most recent punishment.

His mind abided the visuals and sounds of his fox friend in trouble. He couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how hard he tried. When it was all over, the next thing he thought of was what Orbot told him before he and Cubot left the prison.

 _"Looks can be deceiving. You never know the truth until it dawns upon you."_

"The truth... What kind of truth is he even talking about?" he was puzzled.

His only guess was that Infinite's ability to project Virtual Reality on opponents was to create false illusions. It was probably Eggman's idea to include Tails in those illusions to haunt and exasperate his mind. If there was one thing that angered Sonic, it was any sort of pain inflicted towards his best friend. And Tails' demise reached his boiling point.

He hated Eggman even more. He despised Shadow for turning to the dark side for unknown reasons, along with the fact that he was the one who stabbed the kit. He loathed Infinite and all the other foes who overpowered him.

However, it was himself who he hated the most. Because he blamed himself for the loss of his friend and the fact that Mobius was in deep trouble.

"If I get out of this, everyone's going to hate me for failing them. They always relied on me to be the hero, and I let my overconfidence get the best of me. Oh, man... Why did it have to be this way?"

He wished he had an answer for that question. And the same goes for his previous one based on what Orbot told him.

* * *

 _Location: Outside of Red Gate City_

The shuttle took to the skies from its resting spot outside the Resistance HQ. After liftoff, the spacecraft was on route to Eggman's fortified stronghold in outer space. Inside, Savage was sitting on one of the benches. He calibrated the Burst Wispon on his hand, adjusting the fire settings to be a bit more powerful after Raff took some time to make it a bit more powerful.

"So the fire is going to be expel out more quickly?" he looked down at his sibling.

"If I reprogrammed it correctly, it should work out in the long run. You never know if some Badniks or Egg Pawns will come out of nowhere. If it doesn't spew out in time, then you would be the one who's toast," Raff spoke.

Savage sighed, but only because he was impressed of his work. "Man, this is why I like you. You've gotten so smart that you're like an experienced mechanic or someone like that."

"Thanks, big bro! I appreciate it!"

Some of the Sonic team overheard the conversation from the Wolf brothers. It reminded them of how Sonic felt the same way whenever Tails invented a new weapon or improved something that would be considered useful in their fights against Eggman. Their brotherly bond was just as precious and inseparable, causing them to feel a bit sad.

"Home Base to Shuttle Crew. I repeat, Home Base to Shuttle Crew. Do you read me?" Amy called through the intercom.

"We hear you loud and clear, Amy," responded Silver. "What's up?"

"We just want to make sure that everything is going according to plan," the Commander replied. "Nothing is in the way as you're approaching the Death Egg, and you're all prepared for your roles. Everyone knows what they're doing, correct?" Knuckles asked.

"Might as well go over the plan again, just to be safe," said Espio.

"Raff and I are going to find the main control room on the Death Egg. If we can tap into the prison's security system, we can turn off all the alarms so we can sneak the prisoners out unnoticed."

"I'll also keep in touch of everyone to make sure we meet up in the same spot once Sonic's breakout is complete. That way, we can all congregate onto the shuttle and escape the Death Egg as soon as possible," the younger wolf replied.

"Charmy, Espio, and I and will take out as many of Eggman's bots as we can to prevent any disruptions. We'll clear some out of the way so that the wolves can be supervised for their task," explained Vector.

"We'll whip those lazy robots into the next century!" Charmy grinned.

"Silver and I are going to evacuate the captives out as soon as Raff and Savage rig the security alarms properly," mentioned Blaze.

"Meanwhile, Omega and I will instigate our recon assignment to locate Shadow. If we're lucky, we'll get a lead on him."

"We must bring back Shadow to convince him that his poor actions were absolutely unacceptable. We need him to return to our side to fight for justice!" Omega boomed.

"Perfect. You all know what to do. Let's go get Sonic," Knuckles clenched his fist.

"Be careful, everyone. Don't hesitate to contact us or any of the other teams if you run into trouble," advised Amy.

"We won't fail you guys," Silver told them. "We're all set for Operation: Death Egg Escape."

"This is our only chance. We cannot fail this opportunity," reminded Knuckles. "Do your best, Resistance."

* * *

As the shuttle flew closer to the spherical citadel, Raff guided Silver and the Chaotix to drive the vehicle near the escape room.

"The runaways and I came out from this chamber," he pointed out the bottommost part of the fortress. "We were launched out from the ground as the capsules hurled their way down to Mobius."

"So, how exactly do we land this shuttle inside the fortress?" questioned Charmy.

"If you can get us near the base entrance, we should ascend to the interior of the fortress."

"Wouldn't Eggman have the entire fortress enclosed though? Don't you find it weird that this particular section is open to us, coincidence or not?" Blaze wondered.

"Well, Eggman has been known for making stupid mistakes all the time. He may be a super genius, or rather considers himself to be one. But in actuality, his common sense is equivalent to a toddler thinking he could fit a square block into a circular aperture."

"He does have a point there," Rouge agreed.

"Let's just land this thing inside soon so we can start our mission quickly," urged Espio.

 _"We're slowly getting there, but I hope Sonic's alright,"_ Savage thought.

Upon entering the Death Egg, Silver and the Chaotix safely landed in the room and shut off the controls. They pressed a button to open the door, dropping in at a diagonal slope and acting as a ramp for the Resistance members to walk out. Everyone was teamed up with their partners.

"Shuttle Crew to Home Base. This is Espio, reporting. We made it inside the Death Egg."

"Excellent! You guys are onto the next step of our operation!" commended Knuckles.

"Let's get a move on then!" said Savage.

Everyone nodded their heads and took off to explore the space labyrinth. Silver and Blaze headed out first, followed by Rouge and Omega. Raff, Savage, and the Chaotix were the last ones to leave, approaching a dim section that began with a large metal pathway with railings on the sides. It was a steep incline going downhill, but they gave each other confident looks.

"Ready to run, Savage?"

"I'm good to go, Raff. You guys ready, too?"

"We're right by your side!" Vector gave a thumbs-up.

"Let's get going!" shouted Charmy.

The Chaotix took off first. Then, the wolves sped off with their stylish sneakers as they ran down the slope. It leveled off to flat ground before the two took a sharp left turn around a curving path. Because they were going so fast, their traction wasn't capable enough to slow down. Savage held Raff by his hand and used his grappling hook to grasp the side of the yellow railings. He used his indestructible Wispon to decrease their speed, too. Red and orange sparks burst from the friction, but it didn't affect either of the wolves.

"You okay, Raff?!"

"Don't worry, Savage! The sparks aren't hurting me at all! Let's keep rolling!"

The winding path stopped with a speed ramp. The two boosted off and flew in the air. Savage reequipped his hook to swing through the narrow passage. He and Raff landed on a metal road, hurtling down another steep hill. They saw the Chaotix battling a set of Badniks blocking the way. Vector, Espio, and Charmy all landed punches and stylish moves to abolish the mechanical foes. From behind, they heard a couple of Egg Pawns land nearby. Savage took charge over one of them by burning it with his Wispon. Raff took care of the other by whipping out his nunchucks and demolishing its body.

"You weren't kidding when you said you could handle those things."

"I told you so! But at least you were also awesome with that Burst Wispon!"

Savage smirked at him before they all continued their run through the prison hall. They landed on their hands and feet. Up ahead, they noticed a ten-enemy squadron of Egg Pawns, standing in the form of a set of bowling pins. Savage had a weird idea. He removed the Wispon from his right hand and activated the fire. Then, he rolled the weapon with speed and force. It blasted into the Egg Pawns as all ten went tumbling from the explosion.

"Strike!" Savage shouted victoriously. He ran over to reclaim the Wispon and turned off the fire.

"That was epic, big bro!"

"Yeah! I didn't expect to see you do that!" Vector laughed.

"Thanks, guys!"

"Do you know where the control room is from here, Raff?" asked Espio.

"I do! We have to go this way!"

Savage released his hook to aim at a pulley that brought him up to the next level. He carried the fighters one by one, with the exception of Charmy since he can fly. The five heroes jumped over a pair of neo-Buzz Bombers that flew towards them. Raff spin dashed into one and crushed the other with his nunchucks. They continued to grind against the metallic bridges as they jumped over a bottomless pit in the hallway. More Egg Pawns spawned from above, but the Chaotix and the wolves took care of them within a few seconds. After they sprinted down a spiral staircase, they put the brakes on to catch their breaths.

"I think that's all of them in this section," Raff observed his surroundings.

However, Charmy heard a gurgling sound. And the next thing he knew, something came out from a grate in the wall.

"Guys, look!"

Water began to form into a figure. Immediately, Raff recognized the entity.

"Chaos?! But how?! I thought I beat him in Red Gate!"

The God of Destruction extended his arms to try and grab the young wolf, but Espio blocked his path with a shuriken star. The flying projectile slashed the liquid arms to cut off his claws. However, they grew back very quickly. At the same time, red sparks glowed all over his body.

 _"Why is that happening again? There's got to be a reason for this,"_ Raff wondered.

"Savage! Raff!" Vector interrupted the young wolf's thoughts. "We'll handle Chaos! Get to the control room and shut off the alarms!"

The orange-furred brother took Raff's wrist. "Come on, little bro! We can't waste any time!"

"But what about the Chaotix?"

"I've seen them fight on their own back at Chemical Plant's spaceport. Don't worry. They can handle it."

"Alright. Good luck, guys!"

Savage and Raff left Vector, Espio, and Charmy alone to fend off the water creature. The team of three glared at the Guardian God while said mutant mirrored his own gaze with his demonic, green eyes.

As the staring contest lingered, Chaos transformed into a puddle to slither up to the Chaotix. When he reformed, he sprayed water at the chameleon and crocodile. Chaos blinded them, but Charmy was able to fly away and over his head. He snuck a stinger attack from behind. Chaos extended his arms and spun around, whacking Charmy in the helmet. Espio camouflaged himself and slid on the ground to dash into the boss. When Chaos was distracted, Vector ran forward to punch Chaos in the face. They continued their onslaught by finding opportunities to attack him whether he was down for the count or distracted when facing one of them.

The three congregated on the one side of the bridge after dealing several hits to him. Chaos reverted to his puddle state, trying to get a slight edge over his opposition. The chameleon brought up the idea to perform a trio maneuver.

"Guys! Initiate Rocket Accel!" Espio shouted to his team members. **_(1)_**

"We're on it!" they answered back.

Chaos didn't waste a single second when he grew back into his basic frame. As soon as he did though, Espio rolled into a ball while Charmy and Vector positioned from behind the speed type colleague. Vector used his strength and power while Charmy assisted in pushing Espio right towards Chaos. The water-like immortal was about to counteract by trapping the Chaotix in his claws. He lengthened his limbs to the sides before curving them back together when they got closer. Chaos' claws barely managed to grasp the bee and the crocodile. Unfortunately for him, the chameleon was pushed forward with so much force that a yellow field formed in front of him. Espio penetrated through the enemy's slender stomach, bursting into a myriad of water droplets and red cubes. The puddles of water that remained there started to glitch out. Suddenly, the water disappeared as a strange, dark tone that rang throughout the Death Egg.

"Nice! Way to go, Espio!" praised Vector.

"We defeated Chaos!" Charmy raised his hands victoriously.

"And the attack paid off since we were able to execute it effectively. Now that he's out of our way, we better catch up to Savage and Raff."

"Wait a second," Vector paused. "Did you see how Chaos disappeared? He just vanished by turning into not just small pools of water, but also into these weird red shapes."

"Now that you said that, I did kinda noticed that earlier," Charmy put a finger to his chin.

"And as soon as he vanished, did you hear that weird sound? It was a bit startling and uncomfortable, I must say."

"My hearing did perceive that tone." Espio garnered this information as he stared at the floor. "It's kind of strange how all that happened. Raff told us that he managed to fight Chaos in Red Gate City. Then for some reason, he's back on the Death Egg as if nothing happened."

"Can't Chaos teleport to places very quickly?" the bee speculated.

"Not that I can think of. He may be a powerful water deity, but I hardly doubt he can teleport like that. Down on Mobius to the outer limits? Seems questionable to me," Vector scuffled the gold chain around his neck.

"It's possible that he retreated to the enemy base as soon as Raff interfered with him. Maybe with the help of Eggman, that's why he encountered us in here," presumed Espio.

"Well, at the moment, at least he's gone now. But then again, I'm a little worried that there's something bizarre going on here."

"I'm pretty sure we're all on the same page, so you're not the only one, Charmy."

"Sorry for stalling. Now we can go catch up to the wolves."

Espio, Charmy, and Vector rushed through the next dark, narrow passage after defeating Chaos. But as they sought out their whereabouts, their minds drifted over to two things: hoping Sonic was still alive, and why Chaos dematerialized in the way that he did.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I gave the Chaotix another turn in the spotlight during the second half of this chapter, taking on Chaos who engaged in his third fight after the ones against Sonic and Raff. For Ch. 12, I'll have Silver, Blaze, Rouge, and Omega earn their chances to fight against some of Eggman's army. And eventually, our blue hero will get his shot at freedom, but not before he also enters a fight of his own._

 _Stay tuned for the next update of Revengeful Resistance where Sonic's belated breakout will inaugurate. Follow/favorite for new chapters, review down below, point out any mistakes I should fix, and I'll see you in the next one. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _The Rocket Accel is a special technique used in Sonic Heroes. The speed type player (Espio, in this case) would be launched forward with the help of his/her partners (Vector and Charmy) of their team. This move can bring in rings and trigger switches. For this story, I decided to use it as an offensive tactic._


	12. Ch 12: Death Egg Escape (Part 2)

_A/N: Please excuse my early rant here. If you have a professor who's arrogant, irritating, and throws too much shit at you in such a contrived period of time, I feel your pain. My summer course was killing me at this point because of the person who teaches it. His way of assigning and preparing homework, quizzes, and exams is so terrible, and it's gotten in the way of writing more of this story and New Brotherhood. Thank God I'm done with that horrible class, and I don't have to see or hear from that prick again._

 _Now let's just get straight into this chapter, shall we? You readers have waited long enough._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I only take credit for this rewrite and my OCs. Sonic and all the other characters are owned by Sega._

* * *

 **Chapter 12:** Death Egg Escape (Part 2)

Silver and Blaze headed down one of the long, winding corridors of the Death Egg. Their mission was to locate the remaining prisoners within the space colony and free them from eternal hell. Along the way, the light gray hedgehog and the purple cat teamed up by using their respective powers. Silver took control of his psychokinesis to freeze objects and manipulate them to wash out some of the enemies in his path. Blaze followed through with her pyrokinesis and burned an army of Egg Pawns, similar to Savage's Burst Wispon. After clearing the path, they took off down the hall.

"Any sign of the prisoners yet?" Silver asked his feline friend.

"Nothing so far," Blaze responded. Just then, she received a message from the white bat. "What's new, Rouge?"

"I've gotten confirmation from Omega that the prisoners are being held in some sort of internment facility located in the heart of the Death Egg. We're probably certain that Sonic is there, as well. But as Raff mentioned, his cell must be separate from the others. Yet it's likely that they're close by somehow."

"Then we better head up there as soon as we can. So far, security is tight, but Silver and I are handling these underlings pretty decently."

"Raff said he knew where they were, but I think we got ourselves lost," admitted Silver.

"Just stay on your toes in case something unexpected pops out or if anything seems out of the ordinary. Eggman knows that we've infiltrated his base, and who knows what tricks he has up his sleeves this time?"

"Don't worry. We'll be on high alert. Thanks for the info, Rouge."

"No problem. Over and out."

"The heart of the Death Egg, huh? We better get moving."

"Right, Blaze."

The duo ran passed a different hallway with no luck of finding the prisoners. Passing through a four-way intersection, they searched one after another. But the result was the same as before.

"Damn!" Silver swore. "There's no one in here! Where are those captives?"

"Shh! Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

Blaze covered Silver's mouth with her hand. The hedgehog tried to fight it off as he was confused at what Blaze was referring to. Then, he got his answer. As they leaned back against the wall, they peeked around the parapet and saw a familiar face floating down the adjacent hall ahead of them. He stopped for a moment and peered over in the direction of where they hid. Thankfully, the entity didn't notice them.

"It's Infinite..." Blaze breathed, releasing Silver's mouth.

"What's he doing here?" Silver wondered.

"Probably to be on guard duty in case he catches any infiltrators or runaways."

"We better stay stealthy so he doesn't notice us."

Blaze and Silver took small, quiet footsteps along the metal flooring. Slight sounds of clanking were made until they made it to the end of the corridor. But as they turned the corner, Silver got hurt by a laser.

"AAHHH!"

"Silver!" she pushed him to the side at the sight of another laser.

When they looked up at the source, it wasn't Infinite who they saw. Instead, it was Metal Sonic. **_(1)_** Floating in midair, his red eyes glared at the two.

Silver, fighting off the pain, stood up with Blaze's assistance. "Metal, what are you doing?"

The robot responded with a plasma ball shot from the depression of his chest. It almost hit Silver had he not stopped it with his kinesis. Silver extended his hand out to shoot the projectile back at Metal. The plasma narrowly missed the clone's face.

"Probably not the best question to ask to someone like him," Blaze threw in her two cents.

Metal Sonic made a disgruntled sound as he clenched his claws tightly. He flew towards Silver and Blaze in an attempt to attack them. Blaze levitated in the air and performed a Burst Dash on Metal. When he landed on the ground, Silver retaliated a spin dash move. Trying to pin Metal Sonic down, the adversary pushed Silver off of him. He somersaulted towards the hedgehog and struck him with a metal fist. Silver slammed into the wall behind him.

Blaze managed to dive right at him before Metal proceeded with another attack. She dealt fire at the Sonic duplicate, followed with a few punches. Metal Sonic copied her moves as they went back and forth with their physical movements. At one point, Metal extended his claw at the cat before she blocked it. However, she didn't see him swipe his legs across hers, affecting her to fall back.

Silver rubbed his right cheek from the punch he received. Then, he saw the sight of Blaze being threatened with a powerful blast from Metal. Adjusting his jaw, he angrily pounced on the metallic hedgehog.

"Blaze! Keep him down for a minute!"

She nodded and restrained Metal's arms as he laid flat on his front. Silver ran over to a nearby room and manipulated some metal boxes with his psychokinetic powers.

"Watch out! I'm going to deal damage to him!"

"Tell me when you're ready!"

"Now!"

Blaze hopped off Metal Sonic as Silver released the boxes at the robot. After multiple hits, Metal didn't move once. Instead, he lazily laid on the floor until his body glitched in red cubes. Suddenly, he dissipated in plain sight as a strange ringing echoed in the room.

Silver and Blaze shuddered for a moment before they reunited.

"You okay, Blaze?"

"Whew, I am, Silver. How about you?" She was more concerned for Silver since he took more damage from Metal than she did.

"Good. I'm holding my own."

"Oh, Silver. I wished I saw that laser in time before you got hurt."

"I'm alright, Blaze. Really. It wasn't that lethal."

"Yeah, but... If anything happened to you like any of the innocent animals who... you know..."

Silver frowned. "All that matters is that we're in this together until the end. And for now, we're still standing next to each other as we try to overcome this war."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Silver reassured her with a smile, causing her to mirror one back. "Now let's go find the prisoners."

"Yeah. We don't have time to waste."

* * *

Omega and Rouge had their set of obstacles to overcome with Egg Pawns, Bee Bombers, and many other robots appearing out of nowhere. From their lefts and rights, they had to wipe out the weak branch of Eggman's militia. For their mission, they were trying to recruit Shadow in hopes of him returning to Team Dark. However, the black hedgehog was not perceived to be within their range according to Omega's sensors.

"Subject's location unidentified. No sign of Shadow the Hedgehog anywhere."

"He's got to be here somewhere though," Rouge looked around as she flew forward.

"Rouge, do you read me?" Amy called her communicator.

"Yeah, I hear you, loud and clear. What is it, Amy?"

"Knuckles and I are still at the Resistance HQ. We were trying to see if we can get a signal of Shadow's communicator. Because if he's in the Death Egg, you might be able to find him that way."

"Sounds like a plan, because searching aimlessly has proven to be ineffective. Did you get any reads so far?"

"Not yet," Knuckles responded. "Unfortunately, our computer program can't seem to uncover him."

"I'm surprised we've been communicating long-distance without a lot of interference. But how come can't you find Shadow?"

"We're doing the best we can, Rouge! If we can't find anything, I don't know what to do," complained Amy.

"Fine. I'll touch base with you later."

With Omega blasting out fire from his flamethrower and missiles out of his cannons, he eradicated another set of bots that attempted to impede him. Rouge tactfully swayed in the air to swoop down and knock out more robots with her hands and feet. Later on, they ascended an elevator to a higher region of the space fortress. Walking around to inspect the level, they came across a large door with a caution symbol painted on it.

"Hmm... Suspicious." She scoped out to see if she could open the door, but it was no use. "Omega, can you figure out what might lie behind this door?"

"Scanning for information." Omega barely got a read, unable to find a definite answer. "I can only identify this room as some sort of private chamber. Nothing too significant."

"Hmm... Doesn't sound right to me. I mean, why would this door be labeled with a caution warning? It's not like Eggman's hoarding radioactive material. Unless..."

Rouge had an epiphany to the secret base she snuck through before the Eggman Empire arose. There was a room full of DNA-like fragments that might have been dangerous. But for what purpose do they serve? Feeling clueless, she let it go.

"Let's keep searching for now. Sonic still needs to be rescued, and we've yet to find a trace of Shadow." **_(2)_**

"Affirmative."

Rouge and Omega left the passageway. Inside the door they walked away from, the black jackal was having an important discussion with his master.

"You're telling me they've infiltrated my base?!"

"From what I presume, they're here to break out the blue hedgehog."

"Grr! That's it! I'm going to send him off right now so they won't get the chance to rescue him! Send Zavok over to his cell, and tell him to keep an eye on that rat!"

"I've already told him just recently."

"Hmm... At least you're ahead of me. After all, this is why you're now my top minion."

Infinite could only respond with a silent stare through his one-eyed mask.

* * *

Raff and Savage reached the core of the Death Egg to find the security room. The wolves took care of the robot guards, and they snuck inside. Raff went straight to work on the computer to shut off the alarms. Savage supervised the door in case any of Eggman's robots were coming their way. But instead, the Chaotix arrived.

"Savage!"

The older wolf jumped at Vector's whisper. "Geez! You freaking scared me!"

"Sorry about that."

"Glad to see you made it out alive from Chaos," Raff said without moving his head, fixated on the screen.

"Thankfully, we did. But there was something strange that happened."

"What is it, Espio?" Savage asked.

"After we defeated him, he somehow disappeared into thin air by a bunch of glitches. And for some reason, a deep ringing sound resonated after he was gone."

"A ringing sound?" Raff repeated, typing away on the computer.

"Uh-huh. We don't know why it happened, but at least Chaos is gone," breathed Charmy.

"Still, that's very peculiar. I have no idea how Chaos managed to survive after our encounter in Red Gate City."

"And as for the ringing, I'm clueless on why that's relevant to his death," Savage scratched the side of his head.

A signal played out from the speakers. "Yes! Security alarms are no longer working!"

"Way to go, bro!"

"Thanks!" Then, Raff tapped his communicator when he received a call. "This is Raff, reporting. Who's calling?"

"It's us!" Silver told him. "Blaze and I have found the missing prisoners!"

"Excellent! I'm just finished rigging the security system. And I found a release button on the computer to let them out."

"That's perfect!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Have you found Sonic at all?"

"Unfortunately, no."

"Where could he be?" Espio put a hand to his chin.

"I don't know. But I'll go ahead and free them. Help them evacuate to the escape room and load up the shuttle."

"You got it, Raff," Silver acknowledged.

"Hmm, what's this?" Digging deeper into the electronic system, Raff saw a strange program in one of the files. "Ring Restrainer," he read the text. A picture of two blue rings were displayed as an icon.

"What is that?" Charmy wondered.

Raff had an epiphany. "Maybe it's the ring cuffs they put on Sonic! I recognized them from the pictures Eggman showed me!"

"Does that mean they'll be gone off him?" thought Vector.

"If I can hack into this, it's possible I could free him, both from the handcuffs and his prison."

"We better hurry before Eggman finds out about-"

Suddenly, the alarms blared stridently throughout the Death Egg. Everyone had to slam their hands over their ears to block the sound of the sirens.

"Aah! That's so loud!" Charmy pointed out the obvious.

"What the hell happened?! I thought you shut them off?!" Savage yelled at Raff.

"I did! But maybe after I managed to unlock the program and disable it, the alarms must have been triggered! Eggman probably set this up in case someone tried to help him escape!"

"Speaking of escape, we need to do that now!" Espio demanded.

"Not without Sonic, we're not!" countered Vector.

"We got to find him before we even think about leaving this shithole! Now let's jet!" Savage led the way out of the control unit.

* * *

Inside the barred prison, Sonic was up in a sitting position, looking down at his chained feet miserably yet again. There was no one to talk to, no way of getting out, and no idea of what Eggman could possibly do next to seal his fate.

All of a sudden, a loud rumble shook inside the chamber. Sirens in the Death Egg went off as the room glowed in red every several seconds. He looked around to figure out what was going on. At the same time, he was getting tired of the loud noises.

"Sheesh! Could Eggman like _not_ construct anything that's annoying?"

"Seems as if you have some visitors arriving here," Sonic heard a deep voice from nearby. The hedgehog looked straight ahead to see the red Zeti approach him. "I must say, your friends are resilient."

"My friends? You mean, they're here?!" Sonic technically never lost hope, but at least he now knew that help was finally on the way.

"They may be bold to try and rescue you, but this is the end of the line for you, Sonic."

"Really? Well, because you just inferred to me on why the lights are flashing and the sirens are going off, I think this is just the start of the party. Of course, you're just here to ruin it. You always hate fun," he teasingly smirked.

"That's enough from you. Man, I also hate you running your mouth off."

"Eh, it's what I do on occasion."

Then, to their surprise, the doors to his cell opened up without Zavok lifting a finger.

"Huh? What the? That's not supposed to happen!"

Later, the rings around his wrists and shins disappeared.

"That isn't supposed to happen either!"

"Whew! It's been almost forever since I didn't wear those stupid cuffs," he wiggled his fingers and stretched his legs to reclaim the lost feeling. "Alright, Zavok," he abruptly sounded angry, "I think it's time for us to fight tooth and nail with each other. I like to see you do something now that I'm free."

Zavok grunted at him. "You foolish hedgehog. Just because you got out of your chains for some apparent reason does not make you free at all. There's only a small amount of time left before Eggman officially decides to banish you from this pitiful world."

"Oh, so that's the big plan he has for me? Can't say I'm surprised though. You'd expect he wouldn't be that cruel. But after what he did to me, he would plan that out. Still, he must be idiotic that he didn't get rid of me earlier. Probably because he can't think with that pea-sized brain of his."

"You better eat those words, because that's not going to stop me from getting my revenge on you. You deserve one last punishment from me before Eggman kills you. Now come and face the inevitable."

Sonic sped forward with a determined look. "The only thing inevitable here is my foot kicking your butt! And I think _I'm_ the one who should be plotting the revenge!"

Zavok tested with a fist coming right at Sonic that narrowly missed as he dodged to the side. Once they stood on the large metal platform, the two foes squared off for their first matchup in six months.

* * *

Silver and Blaze ran through the winding paths to lead the prisoners to the escape room. The place was also shining red from the blaring alarms. They didn't have enough supervision to check if every single person was accounted for, but they wanted to rescue as many as they can. If not, all of them.

But when they were halfway there, several Egg Pawns and other Badniks got in their way. Silver and Blaze used their powers to take them down, but they couldn't defend most of the captives. Some were recaptured or worse, even shot at. A few people cried at the sight of their family, friends, or loved ones perishing in front of them. Despite the tragedies, Silver and Blaze couldn't afford to let more lose their lives.

"Just keeping running that way and head downstairs until you reach the escape room! Once you're there, wait until we unlock the shuttle!" Silver directed.

"Silver! Blaze!" Rouge managed to find them. Omega was flying beside her as well. They immediately joined the combat against the subordinates.

"Rouge! Omega! What's going on?" questioned Blaze.

"Raff contacted me that he found a way to release Sonic out of his prison. But that overrode the security system he disarmed. Eggman must have had a backup plan in case he found out that we were intruding."

"Blue hedgehog confirmed to be released. But location and status is unknown," Omega told them.

"Maybe the wolves and the Chaotix will find them! For now, let's destroy these bozos and get the prisoners on the ship!" shouted Silver.

* * *

Sonic went for the first strike, starting off with a simple spin dash on the Zeti. Zavok reached over to grab the hedgehog, but Sonic hopped away in time. He ran over to deal a punch to the stomach and several kicks to the face. Zavok flew back as he slid against the metal.

"I got to say, I don't compliment my enemies a whole lot. But your fighting skills were _so_ much better the last time than they are right now. Have you been slacking off at the gym?"

"Enough of your jeering! I will end you!"

"We'll see about that!"

Every time Zavok tried to harm Sonic, he was too quick to catch. Sonic continuously rammed into the red, stocky beast in his ball form, knocking him to the center of the stage with force. He dashed forward again to land another solid kick in his chest. Zavok breathed heavily as he stood near the edge. Just then, he pulled out a remote and pressed the red button on it. He began to laugh maniacally as Sonic watched with a bit of confusion. He soon noticed a large Buzz Bomber descending from an upper level. This was known as the Death Queen. Once it approached the ground, Zavok leaped on top to control the beast.

"Ha ha ha! I bet you didn't see this coming. You thought you were going to win that easily with just a few punches and kicks? I don't think so."

"Really? You resorted to using a robotic bee rather than using your own strength? That's what I call _weak_. Not to mention, you acting like a chicken."

"All I care about is putting you back in your place. When I win, you will no longer cherish life like you used to."

"Fine," Sonic shrugged. "But when _I_ win, the first thing I'm celebrating my breakout with is a well-deserved chili dog! I'm so done with that gross prison food!"

"Prepare for your ultimate doom!" Zavok punched his fists together.

"I rather have you come out and fight the normal way, but you barely did anything against me during that phase! Oh, well. I'll still mop you up real quick. Bring it on!"

"Impudent runt. I'm going to savor watching you suffer."

Sonic saw some smaller Buzz Bombers materialize on the stage, and he decided to get rid of the hazards so he wouldn't get distracted by them. Zavok shot lasers down on the field from the bee's legs. More Buzz Bombers swooped down to sting and incapacitate the Blue Blur. He leaned back and dipped away from the swarm. Zavok flew high up and overhead of Sonic. As the Death Queen dive bombed, the stinger got stuck onto the stage, giving Sonic an open opportunity. He rushed over to jump and perform a chain of homing attacks on Zavok.

"Come on, dude. You can do better than that," Sonic mocked.

The same phase occurred again where Sonic had to dodge the horde of Buzz Bombers and run away from the stinger. With the Death Queen jammed, he executed three more spin dashes on the Zeti. For some reason, red cubes splashed from the impact. And Sonic managed to notice that.

"Urgh! Son of a..." he held in the last word. "This isn't over yet!"

Sonic bent his knees and sprinted away from another set of lasers. Zavok attempted to slam the Death Queen down on the hedgehog. He also flew across the platform to run him over. But no matter what he did, he hardly managed to get several hits on the hedgehog. It was at that point where Zavok was in denial of losing this battle.

"You little... I can't be at a disadvantage! You're supposed to die!"

Sonic paid no attention to his words as he disabled the Death Queen entirely. The Buzz Bomber crashed onto the floor, leaving Zavok vulnerable. Sonic landed a hit against the Zeti's stomach, letting out a battle cry.

"That was for nearly drowning me in that water tank!"

A spin attack scraped his right arm, letting more cubes fall out.

"That's for ruining all those innocent lives!"

One nasty blow to the head dazed the Zeti.

"That's for making me spend six months of torture!"

After he Zavok received a successive bump in the face, he wheezed with bruises all over his body. Another set of red cubes dissipated from Zavok while several glitches flickered around him.

"And last of all, that was for being a part of killing my best friend!"

"Please... Like the little freak meant something to you."

And _that_ was the final straw. _No one_ calls Sonic's brother by that one word.

The hedgehog went ballistic as his bottled-up anger sent him over the edge where the word 'mercy' meant nothing to him. Kicks, jabs, punches, and headbutts altogether, Sonic harmed him so badly that his opponent couldn't counter back.

"GAAAH!" Zavok was dealt one last spin dash before he fell off the Death Queen in so much pain. His blood may be red, but it was quite discernible from his skin. What was also noticeable were the red cubes and glitches shedding off his physique. "No... NO! How could I lose to the likes of you again?!"

Sonic landed on his feet with one hand on the surface of the big Buzz Bomber. He stood up and glared down at his fallen opponent. "Defeating me with those other jerks was bad enough to ruin my reputation, but murdering my buddy was a line that should've never been crossed. I never lost my pride in fighting, and I waited six months to get the chance to avenge him. And for once, I fought so I could teach you a lesson not to mess with me."

Zavok grunted as he laid flat on the cold, metal floor. "This isn't... over yet..."

"Yeah, sure," Sonic rolled his eyes. "And you said that before earlier when you were losing."

"Just wait until _he_ gets a hold of you again... Ugh..."

Sonic hopped off the remains of the Death Queen and prepared to get another hit against him. But before he could, his body glitched once more as more red cubes spewed from his broken body and began to vanish in plain sight.

"Hey! Get back here!" He was about to run forward, but he stopped when a strange sound caught his attention. His ears twitched, and his eyes enlarged. "That sound... Why does that seem... familiar? And those red cubes... That wasn't actual blood. And why did Zavok go away like that? Something's really off here..."

By then, Zavok was gone. Looking around, he nearly lost his balance when the Death Egg shook once more. The place started to crumble.

"This is no time for standing! This is time for running!" Before he rushed away, he heard the sound of a male voice.

"There he is!"

Sonic turned around, thinking it was an ally of Eggman. But instead, he saw three familiar faces with two more figures by their side. "No way..."

"Sonic!" Vector shouted. He was grasping onto Savage's hand as the orange wolf was hanging with his grappling hook. Espio was behind them grinding on top of the railing. Charmy flew in while holding Raff.

"Vector! Espio! Charmy!" the hedgehog grinned and waved his hand. Everyone landed right near him.

"Oh my god! It's a miracle! Sonic's alive!" Charmy cheered with delight.

"Man, we almost lost hope that things were going to be grim. But to see you alive, it's a thrill to see you standing tall," Espio was relieved.

"Boy, I'm glad to see you guys, too! And I notice you got some new faces with ya!"

"Oh, yeah! Sonic, this is Savage and Raff. They're the Wolf Brothers, and they lent us a hand to save you."

"Wow, I can't tell you how much I truly appreciate the help. It's been so long since I've seen a friendly face before."

"And we're happy to see you, Sonic. All we have to do now is bust our way of this place," said Raff.

A ringtone played on Savage's communicator. "Savage, you and the others alright? Rouge contacted me that the alarms somehow got activated."

"Oh, sure, don't even bother to ask how I am," Sonic joked over the speaker.

"Sonic! Is that you?!"

"Well, who do you think? The Muffin Man? Anyways, always a pleasure talking to you, Knucklehead."

"Oh my god! Sonic! I can't believe it! You're really alive! Chaos, I'm so glad to hear from you again!" Amy screamed with sincerity. It caught Sonic off guard, but he felt the same when he heard her.

"Amy, glad to hear that from you. And don't worry! I'm A-Okay!" he gave a thumbs-up to himself.

"As for your question, Commander, that's a yes. We're all safe and sound, and we've reached Sonic."

"Perfect! Sonic may be alive for now, but we need him off that Death Egg before we can celebrate early."

Sonic rolled his eyes, but his face maintained a lighthearted smile. "Your concern is very touching, Knuckles."

The Death Egg began to shake again as the six of them felt the rumbling.

"Uh oh! We better get going!" Vector suggested.

"We got to get to the bottom of the Death Egg where we parked the shuttle. We can depart from there," explained Raff.

"Silver, Blaze, Rouge, and Omega are helping as many hostages as they can to avoid Eggman's security. We'll reunite with them in the escape room, but we can't get caught. They already know we're here," Savage mentioned.

"Alright then. Since you know where the shuttle is, take me to it!" **_(3)_**

Sonic raced through the Death Egg with the Chaotix and the wolves. Going through several pathways and grind rails, they didn't have too many accidents or problems during their retreat. When they zipped through a dark chamber, Raff nearly missed a rail if Savage didn't catch him. Thankfully, the wolves were fine, and the others were okay. But when they landed, they encountered a horrible sight. Several animals laid on the floor, motionless. Blood was smeared on the floor and walls with some dripping from the small bullet holes that shot through them. In this area alone, there were no less than fifty bodies, which made everyone feel sick to their stomachs now that they can't unsee it.

"Shit..." Savage swore. "These prisoners didn't make it with the others."

"I can't believe Eggman and his troops would do such a thing!" Charmy was horrified.

Sonic growled to himself, clenching his fists. "He's gonna pay for what he's done."

Raff was by himself when he stepped over to one of the dead bodies. He dropped to his knees, recognizing the person based on his appearance.

"Jake..."

The hedgehog who assisted him six months ago was deceased. Laying against the wall, his cap fell on his torso. His red scarf was ripped up and covered in blood. His eyes remained open without moving.

It was clear that he made it out alive after trying to escape the first time. But now, Raff's friend wasn't lucky during this escape. And it cost his life.

"Jake... I'm sorry..." Raff sobbed. He covered his eyes with his gloved hands, feeling guilty and inconsolable at the same time.

Savage walked over and hugged his younger brother. He wanted to comfort him, but he also had to remind him of the task at hand.

"Raff... We have to leave now."

"I know. I just... I wished I would've done something earlier to save him."

"Well, that's the same way I felt when you got taken here. But after six months, we're back together again. And I don't want to lose you."

"But I lost my friend."

"It's tough to cope with a loss like this. But at the end of the day, we have to move on."

Raff knew that this discussion would go nowhere if he tried to argue, so he avoided talking back at him. As for Sonic, he was feeling empty from what the wolf mumbled.

 _"He lost his little bro, and he managed to reunite with him. They're so lucky. Why couldn't **my** little bro be safe?"_

"Sonic, you okay?"

The hedgehog turned to the chameleon who asked him the question. "Uh, yeah. I just... checked out. You're gonna have to explain to me what happened after I got abducted," he whispered.

"Trust me, there's a lot that went down, and none of it is good."

"Also, what's the deal with the wolves? His little bro got taken here as well, and Savage managed to find him?"

"Well, not really," Vector toyed with his gold chain necklace. "We'll talk about it on the shuttle."

"Alright then." For some reason, the sight of Savage and Raff being in each other's comfort made him feel indifferent. Albeit, he respected the older brother expressing empathy to him. But all that reminded him was his connection to the yellow fox. And the scene of his death replaying in his mind not only got on his nerves but enraged him internally.

Once they had time to regroup, the six reached the shuttle with Silver, Blaze, Rouge, Omega, and a portion of the surviving prisoners. Most of Eggman's army was taken down so they wouldn't interfere with them, but more lives were gone from another escape. Yet again, some have survived, some did not, and others were still trapped in the space prison. Still, the Resistance had to get back to Mobius and keep the innocent citizens safe. Most importantly, they were able to rescue Sonic after such a long time.

* * *

Elsewhere, Eggman was infuriated. After he set up a pod to send the hedgehog off into space, he returned to his headquarters to find out that Zavok, Chaos, and Metal Sonic were defeated. And worst for him, Sonic broke out of jail and was heading back home.

"Those meddling creatures! If only I got rid of Sonic immediately after I defeated him!"

"Ahem..." the jackal cleared his throat.

"Okay. After _we_ defeated him."

Infinite still glared at the doctor.

"After _you and the others_ defeated him," he grumbled.

"Thank you. And yes, I don't even know why you didn't eradicate your nemesis. Did you really think waiting to dispatch Sonic until you controlled most of, if not, all of Mobius was a good idea?"

"Be quiet. Just because you're technically smart doesn't mean you have higher authority over me."

Infinite didn't reply, and the eye through his mask never blinked.

"The next time you see any of those buffoons, make them suffer. And if you see Sonic, give him what he deserves. But _don't_ kill him. If anyone is going to permanently annihilate that bothersome rodent, it's going to be me."

"Whatever you say, Master."

Across the hall, Orbot and Cubot peeked from the other side of the partition, eavesdropping on their conversation. They withdrew from the door as they started a private chat of their own.

"The boss sure is angry right now," Orbot whispered.

"No kidding," Cubot agreed. "I've never seen him this upset before. And we're the ones who usually boil his temper."

"But if I'm going to be frank, I'm actually glad he escaped. I think Dr. Eggman has gone loco."

"You mean crazy?"

"Obviously."

"So, when do you think Sonic will find about... you know?"

Orbot sighed. "That's one question I don't have an answer to. However, he has to find out at some point later on."

"And when he does..." Cubot shuddered. "I don't want to think about it!"

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Thanks to the Resistance, Sonic has been freed and left the Death Egg after a half-year punishment. But there were many issues to address, which included more animals slaughtered on the Death Egg, including Raff's friend, Jake. Once our blue hero returns to Mobius, how will he react to the dreadful appearance of his home planet? Plus, what does Eggman have in store now that his archenemy is on the loose?_

 _Stay tuned for Ch. 13 of Revengeful Resistance. As for the upload schedule, it still might be one chapter per month. Nowadays, I don't have the time to write and post every two weeks like I did with Hidden Bravery, which is why I'm making this decision. Either way, review down below, follow/favorite, and I hope to see you all soon. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I decided to include a boss fight between Metal Sonic and the duo of Silver and Blaze. I want the main enemies to have at least two major fights early on in the story. Plus, Silver and Blaze deserve some action, especially the latter since she wasn't included in the game._

 ** _(2):_** _Now I might know what you're thinking: 'TGN, why didn't you include Shadow in this chapter? You already incorporated Zavok, Chaos, and Metal... but not Shadow?! Doesn't that negate the purpose of the first PCN?'_

 _To vaguely explain, I have a major role for Shadow later on. I don't want to reveal it just yet. But one major scene will involve the real hedgehog and a clone of him._

 ** _(3):_** _Having Sonic just stand there and not comment on the fact that Zavok disappeared from those glitches but notice the strange sound was something that didn't make sense to me. I changed it up in this scene, and I let the Chaotix and the wolves run into Sonic by chance so they can all hurry to the shuttle together._


	13. Ch 13: Sonic Lashes Out

_A/N:_ _Wow, I was able to write another chapter of this fic about a week after the last upload. That hasn't happened since February._

 _Anyway, I put a poll on my profile regarding the secret that Orbot and Cubot know about. Feel free to place your vote on what you think it's about. Other than that, let's return to Revengeful Resistance._

 ** _*NOTE: Because SOMEONE is appalled of the idea of having twenty thousand people dead was 'too dark' for a kids' game, I lowered the count (even though it's still a high number). Keep in mind, this fanfic is rated T. One of those reasons involve death. Please do NOT make me reiterate this again._**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _It's the same as every other chapter in the past._

* * *

 **Chapter 13:** Sonic Lashes Out

 _Location: Outside of Red Gate City_

Horrible. A word that could describe many things. In Sonic's mind, it was appropriate in two scenarios.

The first case: Savage's backstory of losing Raff during the invasion. Vector and Espio explained that the orange wolf suffered depression when he thought he was at fault for not protecting his little brother. That's why Savage trained himself to become a member of the Resistance. And by such luck, he was able to reunite with Raff after he escaped from his imprisonment. The two worked together to help him escape the Death Egg as well. Although he was now happy for the wolves, he wasn't thrilled at the idea that Savage used self-infliction to resolve his personal dilemma.

There was one thing that Sonic realized from this anecdote. He briefly encountered Savage and Raff in the crowd when Tails was in the square fighting off the Egg Pawns. He saw them with the Chaotix after his fight with Zavok. It took a while to remember their faces, but he slightly recognized the wolves after some thinking. When they got on the shuttle, the three got the chance to properly greet each other. But it was Vector and Espio who did the storytelling since Savage wasn't really in the mood to talk about his past again.

As for case two, Sonic was looking out the window of the shuttle, and he was at a loss. The city looked much worse than what it was before he got trampled by Infinite and the rest of Eggman's allies. The multiple fires and the destroyed buildings were nothing new to him, but there seemed to be more throughout Red Gate. Not only that, the Death Egg Robot Sentinels were surveying the city for people trying to fight back or evacuate. He had to turn away from the window to avoid watching the lasers approach the poor citizens. Like the captives on the Death Egg, some were unlucky where they experienced a horrible fate. One fatal shot, and boom; they were dead.

Sonic closed his eyes as his hand on the wall clenched into a fist. He couldn't believe how the world has changed after he was defeated. Six months went by pretty slow for him on the Death Egg. But down on Mobius, it went from a peaceful planet to a full-on war. Hundreds and thousands of lives were gone, and at the cost of what? His first major loss against Eggman.

 _"If I would've beaten that Infinite guy, things would've been **much** different."_

They say that revenge is a dish best served cold. But after he walloped Zavok hardcore, along with the fact he was considering the idea beforehand, he felt the need to do the same to everyone else.

Chaos, Metal, Shadow, Infinite, Eggman...

Sonic just made a mental hit list, and all five of their names were written on it.

 _"He will pay for all of this. Watch your back, Egghead."_

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Knuckles helped Amy lay out the dishes of food for the Resistance on their successful mission. It was also for all the prisoners that they rescued, including Sonic. The pink hedgehog exclusively saved a plate of chili dogs for her hero, knowing that it's his favorite, and he must be starving after being saved from the Death Egg. She had learned that he had been fed almost nothing nutritious nor savoring during his captivity. But for the first time in six months, he'll finally get a delicious meal to devour.

"Can you believe it? I had faith that Sonic would be alive, and I was right! Thank Chaos he's coming back home!" Amy delightfully squealed.

Knuckles was rather steadfast compared to Amy's reaction. But deep down, he was glad that his blue friend was now safe from Eggman, and seeing his face would give him a moment to breathe. It would help knock off some of the weight on his shoulders.

Soon, the front door of the headquarters opened up, revealing the members of the Resistance and the Blue Blur.

"Sonic..." the Commander breathed. Amy held in her composure just so she wouldn't drop the plate. "It's you. It's really you."

A stoic frown on his face, he acknowledged the echidna and the pink hedgehog with a slight nod. "Knuckles. Amy," he simply replied.

"My goodness," Amy whispered. "It's been so long. And you're finally back. Welcome home, Sonic."

"Glad to be home," Sonic responded, even though he didn't smile at all.

"Oh my god!" she noticed his appearance. "What did Eggman do to you?"

"Too much," he grumbled.

"Anyway, Sonic, why don't you go on and relax for a while?" Knuckles suggested. "Amy made all this food for you and the crew members. And we've made sure to give some rations out to the rescued hostages."

"Yeah, I will. But I'm gonna go clean up first if you don't mind."

Amy shook her head, understanding his decision. "Not at all, Sonic. Just head out there and go to the right. Go on upstairs to the next floor and the bathroom should be on the first door to your left."

"Thanks." He silently left the HQ to find the showers. The others dug into the feast while the Knuckles and Amy stood alone, staring at the door.

"Damn. Eggman must've messed him up really badly," he mumbled to her.

"I know. I'm just glad he's here though," Amy held back her tears.

* * *

The blue hedgehog washed up with soap and shampoo to get rid of the blood and dirt off his skin. He had to be mindful of the cuts and bruises he sustained. But he managed to clean himself without any issues. He returned to the HQ where he was greeted by two of the medics. He sat in a chair in one of the corners. A magenta dog and a green hedgehog took care of his injuries, giving him an ice pack for the bruises and bandages for the cuts. Once he was finished, Sonic gave his thanks.

"Here you go, Sonic," Amy walked up to him. "These are all for you."

The hedgehog smiled for the first time since he returned home and grabbed one off the plate. He took a large bite, falling back in love with the taste of chili.

"Man, it's been forever since I had a chili dog. Thanks, Ames," he swallowed the rest of it.

"You're welcome, Sonic," she blushed. "Please, help yourself. And if you want, I can make more if you're still hungry."

"I appreciate it, but I'll just stick to the one plate for now." Amy nodded before her smile disappeared. Sonic finished eating his second dog as he noticed her changed expression. "What's the matter?"

She sighed. "I'm terribly sorry."

"What for?"

"Everything. We spent so many months trying to find a lead on your disappearance, but we had no luck. It wasn't until Rouge, Omega, and I met with Raff when we found out you were stuck in the Death Egg."

"It's not your fault, Amy. You probably wouldn't have known."

"But we should have. It was almost very obvious that Eggman would find a way to bring that space fortress back. And he did, as the place where he kept you for six months. We took that long to find you, and I feel ashamed that we wasted such precious time as lives were being taken away from our forces."

Sonic felt uncomfortable, but his curiosity got the better of him. "How many people were... gone?"

Amy sniffled. "The death toll was a few dozen before your capture. The number slowly rose higher and higher. It escalated at such a rate that we were on the verge of giving up. No matter how many people we recruited, no matter how hard they fought back, their sacrifices felt like they were in vain. So many innocent lives perished. And since we were aware of the dead captives, that number could be up to maybe three thousand."

Sonic's eyes bulged. "Three... thousand?"

Amy couldn't look at him. She turned away, tears wanting to drop to the cold floor. "And sadly, one of those people was... him."

He closed his mouth, shivering at the thought. And it didn't take him that long to know who Amy was referring to.

 _"He can't be dead..."_ Sonic wanted to believe. _"He just can't..."_

But the memory of Shadow stabbing the kitsune came back to haunt him.

 _"NOOO! SONIII-"_

 _"He has to be alive somehow..."_

For some odd reason, despite it happening a long time ago, part of him thought that Tails was miraculously alive. Yet the other half of him thought that he was truly deceased after what he witnessed. Regardless, Sonic took a step backward, retracing towards stage one of grief.

"Sonic, please know that I liked him as a brother as much as you did. To this day, we still can't believe that he's gone. But, I would think he would want you to... move on, and stop all this chaos." Amy felt a bit regretful for mentioning that last sentence.

His face scrunched up in ire. "Amy."

"Yes, Sonic?"

"They are dead to me," he hissed a sadistic voice.

"W-What?"

He looked up at her. "They... are... dead to me."

That's stage two.

"You still hungry?" Amy wanted to ease the tension by offering him another chili dog.

To her surprise and discontent, he lost his appetite. "No thanks, I'm good."

"Are you sure?" she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Yeah," he sounded annoyed.

Amy didn't bother to respond knowing how he was acting. Sonic stood up from his chair and walked over to the rest of the Resistance who were still chowing down on the banquet. The only ones who weren't there were Raff and Savage. Knuckles turned around to see the hedgehog behind him.

"Hey, Sonic. Listen, man. Finding you alive was the big break that we all needed, and we're ecstatic that you're back after so many months. I can only hope that you're doing well."

Sonic _really_ wanted to say that he wasn't, but bursting out in front of everyone probably wasn't the best option. "After the shower and the treatment that I was given, I feel like I am," he hid his feelings. "Besides Eggman taking over Mobius, what else happened down here?"

"Honestly, that's pretty much the only news we have. After six months, Eggman has taken over 99.9% of all the land. The rest is just our territory, a small fragment here in the outskirts of Red Gate. And unfortunately, many people sacrificed their lives to overcome this problem, but Eggman and his legion were just too powerful, most notably his new assistant, Infinite."

"Yeah, Amy told me about the sacrifices of those people. And I'm no stranger to what Infinite is capable of," he narrowed his eyes.

"At this point, we've been stuck in an uphill battle where the only direction we've been going is downhill. But since you're here, we have some newfound hope. Now, I hate to be that kind of guy. We all know how you've taken down Eggman so many times in the past, and we hate to always rely on you to do the hard work. But without you, we don't have a fighting chance."

"For the record, I wasn't going to decline your offer. I've got six months of payback that I'm determined to spend. And it starts by taking back our home."

Knuckles gave a small smirk, but it washed away after he saw Sonic retaining his frown. "Your fighting nature never fails to impress me. I understand that you want to get out there right now, but you should take some time to recuperate. Some food and rest will definitely help you out. After all, Eggman did torture you for half a year."

"Ugh, don't remind me, Knux. And yeah, I could get some shuteye soon. Lying on the cold bench isn't what I call comfortable."

Suddenly, everyone heard a muffled yell. "Are you stupid or something?!"

"What was that?" Rouge asked.

"I thought I heard Savage for a second," Blaze thought.

"But who is he talking to?" Silver wondered.

"No, I'm not!"

"That sounded like Raff," Vector perceived the voice.

"What's going on?" questioned Charmy.

"I sense a disturbance outside the headquarters," said Omega.

Espio walked over to the front door and opened it. He peeked around the wall to see the wolves arguing with each other. "Guys..." he motioned them over. Everyone eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Did you really think you were going to take Jake with you after seeing what happened to him?"

"He was my friend, Savage! I thought I could redeem my mistake of leaving him by getting him out a second time."

"I'm sorry, Raff. But there was nothing we could do about it."

"We could've taken him back on the shuttle!"

"No, we couldn't."

"Why not?! Why couldn't I help my best friend after what he's done for me?" Raff's eyes started to water.

"It wouldn't be for the best if we did take him back," Savage was losing his patience.

"That's such a lame answer! Tell me why I couldn't help him!"

"HE'S DEAD, RAFF! HE'S FUCKING DEAD!"

Sonic was surprised to see Savage shout like that. To the Chaotix, it was nothing new to them, but it caused some awkward tension. Everyone else was uncomfortable.

"Jake risked your life for you, and you should appreciate that! And that's all you can do because we couldn't save him! If we brought his corpse to the shuttle, what will the others think? That we'll give him a chance to revive him for being one of the many innocent people who died during this war period? Guess what, Raff? Others were dead, too!"

"B-But..."

"The prisoners would probably think you're selfish for bringing Jake home because you want him back in your life. Well, they can make a justification that their dead friends and family should be taken to the shuttle so they could have a chance to be revived, too! But the reality is, they're gone because they were either unlucky to escape, or they fought as hard as they could to protect Mobius. One way or another, hundreds and thousands of lives have been lost since Eggman's reign."

"I know, b-but..."

"You're just lucky you're alive right now, and god damn it, am I lucky as well. I know it's tough to move on from something horrible like that. But we have to come and realize that we can't be selfish to ourselves if someone close to us is gone forever!"

Raff was choking on his tears, gasping in uneven intervals every now and then to try to calm himself down. It wasn't working. He was about to yell back at his brother, but someone else did the talking.

"How could you say that?"

Savage looked behind him to see Sonic with the same infuriated expression he had before.

"Sonic, don't," Vector urged.

The Blue Blur ignored him and strolled over to come face to face with the older wolf.

"How dare do you talk to your brother like that?" he shoved his chest with a finger. "He's a little kid, for Chaos' sake! Is that how you're going to treat him when he's feeling upset?"

"Listen, Sonic. As much as I respect you for being a hero..."

"I'll tell you what," Sonic interrupted.

"Hey, I didn't even get to-"

"Stop talking," he demanded. His friends were speechless to see him this belligerent. "You say that you're lucky that your little brother is alive, but you go ahead and talk to him like that?"

Savage didn't answer back. He blinked in confusion.

"He cared for someone that meant a lot to him. He had feelings for his friend. All he wanted was to help him out. Even though things didn't go the way they were expected, the least you could do was be sympathetic and understand his situation."

"Sonic, I-"

"I bet you don't even care about Raff."

"Sonic!" Amy gasped. The others were surprised, too.

That statement sparked something in Savage's eyes. And that something was rage. He confronted Sonic, looking down at him and mirroring his glare.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" he spoke slowly and ominously.

"You should be there for your brother whenever he's down. And to yell him at him for something he's passionate about doesn't make any sense to me."

"You're one to talk. I bet there were times where you criticized Tails before."

Sonic made another fist. "I hardly do it, but I only scold him whenever he gets himself into danger. It's my responsibility to look after him. The last thing I want is for him to get hurt."

"But wouldn't you want him to help out? He did so in Red Gate when Eggman invaded the city. If it wasn't for him, Eggman would've easily taken over the place."

"And Egghead did. Then Tails got killed in the process..." Sonic growled.

"At least he fought for you!"

"But apparently, I wasn't lucky to reunite with him."

Savage closed his eyes and breathed through his nostrils. He slouched his shoulders as well. "Sonic, I'm absolutely sorry for you. I really am. I respect Tails as much as I do to you."

"But I bet the same can't be said for your thoughts on Raff."

"Are you serious? Why are you bringing that up again?! He's my little brother, mind you!"

"Savage..."

"Stay out of this, Raff." He turned back to face the Blue Blur. "I joined your friends so that I could make a difference. That difference was to not be a coward like I used to be. I may be a year older than you, but I actually have some things that I fear. Losing Raff was one of them. And it came true when he saved me in Red Gate months ago...

"Under the impression that I lost him, as well as everyone else in my family, I had to change myself to become someone like you, someone who could make an impact to bring this world back to the way it was before the Eggman Empire took over. Thankfully, he was able to get out of the Death Egg to return to Mobius...

"And I'm grateful that he's alive. I'm grateful for what he has done to support me in my life. But for you to say that I don't care about him... Then you must be out of your mind. I would never say something similar regarding your relationship with Tails."

Sonic didn't falter his glower.

Savage stepped back and took a glance at Raff. "But just like Jake, we have to accept that he's dead and move on."

Then, out of nowhere, the cobalt hedgehog snapped. With his blazing speed, he tackled the orange wolf.

"Savage!" Raff shouted.

The Resistance immediately responded by running over to the altercation. Sonic threw punches at the rookie, and Savage tried to defend himself. But the hedgehog had him pinned on the floor as he assaulted the wolf. Everyone but Raff and Amy got into the pile to break up the fight. Knuckles and the Chaotix pulled Sonic away while Silver, Blaze, Rouge, and Omega held Savage. The wolf's glasses awkwardly fell off his ears while both lenses were cracked. He stared at Sonic with a mix of shock and irritation that he'd pull off a violent move like that. Sonic was kicking his legs as his arms were restrained by Vector holding onto him.

"Sonic, what the hell were you doing?!" berated Knuckles.

When he kept struggling, the echidna threw a nasty slap to the face. The hedgehog stopped squirming in the crocodile's grip as he panted heavily. All the others' eyes stared at him with an array of emotions. Amy, Raff, and Charmy expressed fright. Rouge and Blaze were concerned. Silver, Vector, and Espio were flabbergasted. Omega remained nonchalant. Knuckles felt disappointed. Savage was fuming.

At that point, Sonic could only freeze and stare at what he had become. He went insane. He acted like a monster. This was beyond his nature, and he even surprised himself. Worst of all, he was embarrassed and ashamed of his actions.

He finally managed to get out of Vector's hands and dashed away from the group. Everyone saw the streak of blue disappear in a quick second.

No one had any words to say after that. But the memory will remain stuck in their heads for a while.

Meanwhile, Savage tramped his way towards the upper dormitories, wanting to be alone. He headed up a metallic stairway and opened the door aggressively. Raff tried to stop him, but he slammed it in front of everyone. The red wolf was dejected, staring down at the floor. Amy walked over to soothe him, rubbing his shoulders gently as she felt bad. For Sonic, for Savage, for Raff, and for everyone who's involved.

Elsewhere, Sonic did the one thing he could when he faced a problem: run. He went around Red Gate until he stopped at the edge of a cliff, looking at the Death Egg Sentinels that were devastating more of the city. Fires blazed throughout the landscape as the smoke trailed up to the vile atmosphere. He narrowed his eyes, clenched his fists, and growled with his teeth showing. **_(1)_**

"Eggman!" he screamed to the sky above. "You've gone off the deep end to get what you want and to mess me up, both physically and mentally! Are you happy now?! Are you happy now that you've finally taken over the world for once?! You better be, because it's only going to last for a while until I completely end you for good!"

Remember that moment where Sonic thought revenge was just a 'personal choice'? It's now become an objective. An objective he planned to _not_ fail at.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Tension flared up in this chapter as Sonic went hostile against Savage the Wolf. He may have realized that what he had done was wrong, but did he have a right to attack Savage like that? Or was it just out of emotions? And with the unnecessary drama going on in the Resistance, how will things pick up as the war rages on?_

 _Be sure to review your thoughts down below, and leave any feedback on any mistakes I should fix. Follow and favorite the story if you haven't already and if you're interested. I'll see you all for Ch. 14 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I envisioned this scene based off one of the artworks for the game, which is the one I used for the cover image._


	14. Ch 14: A Piece of Their Minds

_A/N:_ _One major thing I need to note is that I re-edited Ch. 9 for a certain reason. You can go back and see what I did if you want, but you don't have to._

 _And in light of what transpired, this is a filler chapter as we delve into the minds of the Resistance on what they think about the war, what happened between Sonic and Savage, or how they visualize the future with the way things are going. I have plans for the two characters that I mentioned. But right now, they're going to be absent in this section._

 _I also want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. Revengeful Resistance is at **5,000+ hits** and **100+ reviews**!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sega owns all property of Sonic. I only take credit for this rewrite._

* * *

 **Chapter 14:** A Piece of Their Minds

 _~Knuckles' POV_

Let me just say for the record that this wasn't the first time I've seen Sonic as angry as he was earlier. But this was _much_ different than the other times.

He was beaten up, broken, and aggravated. I can't blame him for that. The guy got captured and was held in solitary confinement over a six-month period, for Chaos' sake. And the loss of you-know-who must have messed up his brain. It probably didn't make it better when he saw Rookie and the other wolf reunite with each other.

If Tails was alive and the same thing happened to those two, things would have been different. It'd be a bit better; not by much since we're still losing a tough war. But at least Sonic would have his partner next to him.

When he went berserk over Savage, the others and I responded immediately. We couldn't tolerate any major fighting in this situation. Everyone is all tired and relieved after saving Sonic, and having an altercation was the last thing we wanted.

But holy shit. Sonic went dark. And before I could talk to him, he ran off like every other situation. It's what he does, and it kind of annoys me.

As for Savage, maybe he could've been less hostile towards Raff. But he didn't seem like he was at fault entirely.

Nevertheless, I'm going to have a serious talk with both of them. Of course, they're going to be separate discussions. Putting them in the same room will likely cause another physical fight given the circumstances that both can be aggressive at the most unexpected moment. I just don't know how this is going to work out later on.

I already told everyone to go to the dormitories and rest up. They definitely need it, and we have to get back on track with this war soon. The only ones who didn't leave, however, were Amy and Raff. Amy stayed back so she could have a moment with me, and Raff didn't think it was best to see Savage at this time. I planted my hands on the table, head down with my eyes closed. To say I was frustrated was an understatement. I just don't want to blow my top off again.

"Knuckles, you alright?"

"I'm fine, Amy." No, I'm not entirely.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"You guys don't have to do anything. You already finished your tasks. Before I can assign you guys to any missions, I've got to do more research on Eggman's army and bases. Now go to your dorms."

"But, Knuckles-"

"Amy, please. Get some rest. Same to you, Raff."

"I just want to talk to you for one second."

"Fine. Raff, do you mind?"

"Not at all. I'll leave you guys be."

"Thanks."

I heard Raff leave the room with the front door shut. Once Amy and I were alone, she planted a hand on my shoulder and rubbed it.

"So, what's on your mind right now?"

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Amy's POV_

To answer his question, too much is on my mind right now.

Sonic is saved, but he suddenly went crazy when he attacked Savage. Poor Raff had to see him get tackled by the hero of this world. Eggman continues to dominate the planet as we're barely gaining any ground to defeat his troops. This was too much to handle.

On top of that, Savage, he was... He seemed nonchalant when he told Sonic to move on from Tails. Albeit, this is what people had to do when someone close to them passes away, so he did have a point.

But seriously, this was personal on another level. Sonic and Tails were the go-to team. One wouldn't be complete without the other, and that's the bottom line. So for Sonic to pounce on him like that, I understand that he did it out of anger. However, I've known Sonic for so many years, and I thought he should've acted better than that. Yes, he's made rash decisions before, but none of them were borderline inappropriate. Some were bad, some were not so great, others were fine, and the rest were smart. This incident fell under 'bad', for obvious reasons. Except this time, it _was_ unsuitable.

"Amy?"

Him saying my name caught me off guard before I realized I didn't directly answer his question. "Oh, sorry, Knux."

"Don't worry about it. But what do you want to talk to me about?"

"It's the elephant in the room."

"About Sonic?"

"Yes. I'm scared for him, Knuckles."

"That he's mentally and physically scarred?"

"Well, that and the fight he had with Savage."

"Believe me. I'm going to talk to them about it. Just not together."

"How's that going to solve anything?"

"Didn't you tell me that talking it out helps people calm down and feel better, especially when _I'm_ the one who's hotheaded?" Knuckles had a playing smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I remember that," I let out a genuine chuckle. "You would try to deny the idea that you're gullible or something stupid."

"Either you, Sonic or Tails would be the one to alleviate my rage. Honestly, I think you've done the most of that."

"Did it help at all?"

"Sort of. But it was always better than how Sonic does it. He'd just fool around with his teasing and tomfoolery to the point where it's evident that he's terrible around me."

Another laugh escaped my lips as I understood what he meant. My smile faded away immediately though. "I just hope both of them can recoup."

I noticed Knuckles returned to a serious expression, too. "And I'll make sure that'll happen. I just need time."

With that, I nodded my head and left without saying anything else. I don't want to disrespect him if he wants privacy. I took another look outside the hideout with the flames and smoke spreading throughout Red Gate. The firefighters were doing their best to extinguish the fire, but there was too much to handle thanks to Eggman's robots. If we could get rid of those Sentinels and all those other mechs, their jobs and ours would be much easier.

If only it _was_ easy to begin with.

We already have another problem on our hands, and it had to involve the only one who could take Eggman on alone with very few issues. And that same guy has changed for the worse.

Wherever Sonic is right now, I pray to Chaos that he's alright. But my heart already knew the actual answer. Eggman was the main threat to all this, alongside everyone who had joined him to defeat him, including that strange Infinite guy. Sonic was heated up from being tortured and punished, being separated from us, and losing the world we all know and love.

It's going to be tough to cope through all this. But Sonic would never give up with a burden set on his shoulders. I have faith in him like I did when I thought he was still alive. It's just barely hanging by a thread.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Silver's POV_

As a hedgehog from the future, the timeline between my generation versus Sonic's is very confusing to take in sometimes. What's guaranteed was the fact that Eggman was the ultimate ruler, and we need to overthrow his reign so that he wouldn't stand as the leading dictator of Mobius for the rest of eternity. Seeing the worst in this imperfect world sent chills down my spine whenever I see nothing but tragedy. And it's happened both here and in the future.

I traveled to help Knuckles and the rest of his friends to get a lead on Sonic's whereabouts, but I didn't help much. I also couldn't do anything to reverse Tails' demise. Shadow really changed his demeanor that last time I saw him, and it peeved me off. Sure, he's definitely not the happiest guy in the universe. I mean, have you seen his face? 95% of the time you'll see him frowning with his eyes glaring at someone's soul just to make them uncomfortable. But to kill someone as young and innocent as Tails was repulsive of him. How dare does he turn his back on the heroes' side and commit such a crime like that?

"Silver? You there?"

The female voice outside my door was none other than Blaze. I slid off the edge of my mattress to open the door. She greeted me with a small smile.

"Hey, Blaze."

"Hi, Silver. Do you mind if I come in?"

"Not at all."

I've grown a strong friendship with Blaze since I met the feline princess. She's athletic, smart, elegant, and down-to-earth. I haven't really thought of having a relationship that's above and beyond. We're just pals, but we have something similar to a brother-sister bond. And if there's one person I would consider my best friend, Blaze is at the top of my list.

I returned to my bed with my back against the pillow and wall. Blaze sat on the other side of the bed, her legs hanging off the side. We were silent for a little bit, but it's not like it was going to last forever.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing much."

My head slowly nodded. "I appreciate you for coming over to help the Resistance."

"Anything to help Mobius." She looked a little hesitant for some reason. "Um, Silver?"

"Yeah?"

"I actually have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"Why do you think Sonic jumped at Savage like that?"

That was a good question, but that didn't mean I wanted to think about it. After all, it created some unneeded tension to the squad.

"Well, remember when Savage was ranting at Raff about not taking his dead friend on the shuttle?"

"Yeah, I slightly recall that. Why?"

"I think along those words, he inferred something about not being selfish for themselves just because they rather care about a particular person's life rather than the whole world. Let me ask you this. When you compare one individual versus the rest of the population, how many lives would you rather save?"

"I rather save as many as possible, sort of like my deed when ruling my kingdom."

"And that's honestly the best option. Raff didn't get it, and Savage was seething because he hated to see people die. Albeit, he cared for Raff's well-being, and he may be a bit selfish about that, but he didn't ask for several others to experience that fate. After Savage told Sonic to accept the fact that Tails is gone," I snapped my fingers, "that's when the trigger fired."

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Blaze's POV_

The moment I saw Sonic at his worst was the part that threw me off. It kept replaying in my mind. Never have I ever seen him burst out into the scene in such a menacing manner. He never attacked his friends like that, and at that time, Savage was only a stranger to him. If not, he's an acquaintance at most. But Savage wasn't the enemy, nor was he on the antagonistic side. It was Eggman, Infinite, Shadow, Zavok, Metal, Chaos, and all of Eggman's robots.

I may be calm and stoic most of the time. Deep down inside though, I usually hide my feelings towards others. Next to Silver, I view Sonic as a great friend. He was one of the few people who helped me open up to convey my thoughts. I was horrendously antisocial before I met him. But he changed my way on how to approach others and how to handle rough conditions. And on occasion, it's always grateful when someone is willing to assist me, whether it was Sonic, Silver, Knuckles, or any of my other colleagues. That included Tails.

Even though we rarely had some moments to talk and socialize, Tails was really kind-hearted and unselfish of himself. He's just like Sonic, minus the sarcasm and the occasional heated moments that he has shown. What more can I say about him, other than the fact that I'm utterly shocked that he died?

Sonic was there to help me with my feelings. I wish I could pay him back in the same way because of how he's coping with Tails' loss. It's already obvious that it's affected him emotionally. I feel terrible that I don't know what to do to make him feel better.

"Silver, I'm scared for Sonic."

"If we're being truthful here, so am I."

"Is there anything we could do?"

"Defeat Eggman, destroy the empire, and win this war."

"Besides that, I mean."

Silver was clueless based on his facial expression. "You got me. I have no idea."

"I wonder how Cream is doing. **_(1)_** She must be scared out of her mind right now."

"Where is she now? Cream didn't get captured or killed, did she?!"

"No! She came running over to my kingdom because Knuckles didn't want anything dangerous to happen to her. She's too young to experience anything like this. So my people are looking after her."

"As long as Eggman doesn't invade your home, then at least we can breathe knowing she's fine. We don't want another life taken away from us."

"You should've seen her face when she came crying to me. She was absolutely devastated with Tails' death. They were great friends, after all. Cheese and I tried to cheer her up, but we were unsuccessful. She was crying waterfalls."

"Poor Cream."

I was almost on the verge of crying, as much as I hate it. But with Silver, he leaned over and rubbed my hand that rested on the mattress. I looked up to him. He gave me a sympathetic look. I truly enjoy having him for company.

"You feeling tired yet?" I asked him.

"A little bit."

"Okay. I don't want to keep you up then. I'll head out now."

"You don't have to go back to your dorm. You can sleep here."

"But isn't that Knuckles' bed?"

"I'm sure he won't mind. He's staying up to survey the land, and he probably won't rest until he's finished. He'll probably knock himself out in the HQ."

"Are you sure, Silver?"

"I'm sure. But just in case, I'll sleep in Knuckles' bed, and you can take mine. That way, he can kick me out later and not you."

"Silver, you don't have to."

"But I want to. Just for this night, please?"

I presume Silver's desperate for personal reasons, but probably because he doesn't want to lose me. None of us are safe, and these could be our final moments together if we don't triumph over Eggman and the other adversaries.

"Alright. I'll sleep here."

Silver smiled for the first time. In turn, I mirrored his look. "Thanks, Blaze."

We got ourselves comfortable as the night slowly went by. We said our 'good nights' and headed off to sleep. My ears perked at the sound of sirens blaring in the distance. Hopefully they won't keep us awake the whole time. We don't need another disturbance in our path.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Rouge's POV_

If you're going to ask me what my thoughts are regarding this laborious battle, it's terrible. But I actually have another important thing in mind.

Shadow.

As a part of Team Dark, Omega and I have yet to find a trace of him. We couldn't find him after his strange disappearance. Again, one of the things that I heard from him through my communicator kept ringing in my head.

 _"What happened to Infinite?"_

Under the context, Shadow encountered and faced him one-on-one after the jackal shut down Omega. But he must have lost sight of him before Infinite resurfaced to continue their brawl. There was another thing Shadow mentioned over the intercom.

 _"Worthless. You really think you're strong to take on me? Even Orbot and Cubot are tougher than what you've shown. If anything, you weren't even trying. You are nothing but weak."_

Maybe those words sparked a fire in the jackal. Because from there, I heard the monster screech at him.

 _"You... I... ARGH! **You** are calling **me** , WEAK?! You ungrateful twerp! I... I AM NOT WEAK! I'M NOT!"_

 _"If you're not weak, then why are your hands shaking?"_

 _"Shut up! I told you! I... am not... WEAK!"_

My heart raced when I heard Shadow getting beaten up, the exact opposite prior to the jackal's breakdown. Somehow, Infinite managed to outduel him. And I haven't heard from Shadow since.

If he was captured, it was likely that he was taken to the Death Egg. After all, the same fate occurred to Sonic about a week after I lost him. After Raff was able to reprogram Omega to normal, we made it our mission to locate our headstrong ally. To our dissatisfaction, we failed to find him. And I couldn't help but worry, something I don't do often.

However, I feel like something's fishy in the air. Whether it's about Eggman, his plan for domination, or something else, my gut is telling me that Shadow's involved. But I don't know exactly how.

At the moment, I shut down Omega so he could recharge himself for the next mission we're assigned. **_(2)_** We have to wake up fresh for a brand-new day now that Big Blue is back with us. Might as well get some sleep now.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Vector's POV_

I laid on my bed across from Charmy whose bed was on the other side of the room. Espio had the one next to me. We all shared this room, just like how we lived in a small house when we were running our detective agency. Never have I thought that we would take on such a task that's more dangerous and threatening than the cases we've taken care of.

On the bright side, we managed to work together as a trio, which later grew to a quartet when Savage went on his first mission as a rookie. Just thinking about this wolf, someone who has spent his life on the outside alone for a long time, would come out of nowhere to step up and become a strong supporter for the entire team. I didn't really have any doubts, and I'm glad I didn't. Through my eyes, he was pretty capable of himself when we were traveling through the Spaceport together. And his role in the rescue mission was fantastic, blazing through those dull Egg Pawns and helping his little brother get through the fortress as a dynamic duo. It reminds another pair, but that shouldn't be too hard to figure who I'm referring to.

But there was a major flaw that I've noticed from the wolf. That was his temper. He unintentionally scarred a little dog when he threw a soda bottle at Charmy, and he yelled at Raff when he was arguing about bringing his now dead friend, Jake, onto the shuttle ride home. I mean, it made no sense to bring him with us, which is why Savage had a point. But he had no reason to be that harsh towards his brother.

Savage does share one thing in common with Sonic. It's that if you piss off either of them, things are not going to look pretty. And good lord, what happened recently defined that moment. Their fight freaked me out a bit. I know that Savage lost his little brother like Sonic did. At least for the former, he was able to reunite with Raff whereas Sonic lost Tails forever. That's why Sonic took his anger out on Savage.

I don't know Tails as much as he does, but the one thing that I'll always remember is how vital he can be in stressful situations. He'd always work things out in the most intricate, yet stealthy way possible. His intelligent mind held a lot of potential. And boy, if he was here right now, he might do anything to help us win this war. **_(3)_**

It's such a big shame that he's gone. At least Raff is the closest person we have who's like him. And as for Sonic and Savage, they need to clean their acts together if we want to focus on the big issue here.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Espio's POV_

The plan to take down the Eggman Empire was prolonged since we were unable to do anything productive with his troops destroying Red Gate, Green Hill, and just about everywhere else. Recruiting as many people as we could to fight back was another task we executed. Sadly though, thousands of lives perished, and their sacrifices felt like they were in vain. Finding Sonic was miserable considering it took us six months to accomplish all that. However, saving him from the Death Egg was the greatest thing that has happened to our squad in such a long period of time.

On the day that Knuckles introduced Savage to the team, I came into the hideout thinking that we needed a miracle. And that miracle had to be done by our own hands. We managed to do so when we brought back our blue friend. However, Savage mentioned that we can't always rely on Sonic for help. Although he is the reason we have a chance to salvage this dreadful world from Eggman's hands, it's already established that Savage had a point.

Once we return to action, we need to do more than just steal a shuttle for transportation. We need to do more than defeat Chaos back on the Death Egg. We need to do more than let Sonic do all the work to himself. As a team, we all have our responsibilities and skills to make sure we are resilient and efficient to follow orders and make a difference.

"Psst, you awake?" I heard Vector whisper next to me.

"Barely. What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. I was just wondering."

"Ah."

Silence filled the place again.

"Do you think we're going to win this war?"

Blinking once, I could only shrug to myself. "Frankly, the future looks bleak. But we're already off to a better start than where we were six months ago."

"Yeah. With Sonic, we're just as strong as Eggman."

"But we're on the same page that he should not be the only one to face combat. Savage was right. This is a team effort."

"What do you think our next operation is?"

"We'll see when Knuckles gives us the word."

"Fair enough," he yawned. "Alright, I'm going get some shuteye."

"Same. Good night."

As I could see Vector's stomach rising up and down, I barely heard Charmy quietly snoring from across the room. Later, I closed my eyes with my hands behind my head. We might as well take advantage of getting some well-deserved sleep. Anything could come our way, and we have to prepare for both the future and the unexpected.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Charmy's POV_

My only thoughts on this war are probably what my friends are thinking about right now. I'm a little too lazy to go on and on about it.

But yeah, am I scared about all this? Definitely.

Am I afraid of the possibility that one of us could die? Absolutely.

Is Savage scary because of the fact that he yelled at me, Raff, and just about everyone else? Um, I'll get back to you on that.

I find it very stupid that I can't sleep straight without having a bad dream. Some of it will be about Vector or Espio. Others may include Knuckles, Amy, or the others. And in those nightmares, they die from some bad cause. A laser shot by a robot, being burned in a fire, getting stabbed by a knife... They would all scream in pain, and I would witness it through my own two eyes. It was way too scary, and I'm a little surprised, yet thankful, that it hasn't happened in real life.

Every time I wake up, my instincts tell me to fly over to Espio, Vector, or the closest person around and hug them for dear life, knowing that they were all alive and well. But since that would be annoying for anyone, I can only wrap my arms around my body, hugging myself with the smallest amount of relief that I didn't lose my friends. They're way too valuable to me. These people that I've hung out with are the closest ones I would consider to be family. Now, we are fighting as a team. As a family. As a Resistance.

War is bad as it always is, and it's already frightening of the fact that we're a part of this mess. I may be a young bee at six years old, but that doesn't matter. Tails has managed to help Sonic ever since they became a duo, and that was before he turned six. I'll do what I can to help save the world, just like what they have both done in the past.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Raff's POV_

I didn't go to the dormitories like Knuckles said. Instead, I climbed the stairs and went up to the roof of the Resistance HQ. In the distance, the sight of all that smoke and fire made me quiver. Imagining if I was stuck in the fire would be terrifying, being trapped with nowhere to go and no escape route. That was literally the same scenario when we were all trapped on the Death Egg.

Earlier, I wanted to yell at my older brother because he didn't care about Jake. What if it was Savage instead? Maybe he'd feel indebted to me for bringing him back home to potentially get revived. And if he didn't survive, then I would be forced to move on without anyone in my family.

Then again, he must have felt the same way when I pushed away from Infinite and after I got taken away. Savage was probably under the impression that I died. And from there, he must have been miserable. In the past, he blamed himself as the reason that our parents got taken by Eggman. But I knew he wasn't at fault. Savage had no idea that the doctor would invade Green Hill. Dad wanted to protect us, then he got captured. Mom begged us to escape, and we did as she got abducted, too.

We haven't been the same after that, and Savage faced many instances of depression. Nonetheless, he fought through it. He got a job to put a roof over our heads so we don't have to live in the dirty streets. He provided food so we don't have to dig through dirty trash and find leftover scraps. He offered to help me become more educated with things I never knew before if I had questions or concerns.

I can't stay mad at him since he sacrificed his time to support me. But I was still upset about the way he treated me. Maybe at some point though, I'll forgive him. I'm sure he didn't mean to go crazy in front of me and the rest of our friends. He was under a lot of stress. I don't want him cutting his wrists again. Nor do I want to see him fight with Sonic or anyone else.

Speaking of which, Sonic's choice to tackle my big brother was quite the shocker. He's supposed to be a hero and a great role model for others, as long as you ignore the overconfidence and his cocky attitude. But that's what makes Sonic, well, Sonic. That's his personality. That's his way of going through life. That's who he is. But attacking someone out of anger was out of character of him, unless it's against an enemy he abhorred, like Eggman or Zavok. Doing it to Savage though? That's a WTF factor as my brother would call it.

I wonder what both of them are doing right now. Savage went to his room, but I didn't bother to interrupt him if he wants to be alone. Sonic dashed away, and it'd be nearly impossible to track him down if he's running all over the place at such a high velocity. But the most I can hope for is to have them make up for their public squabble. Of course, I have to make amends to my current status with Savage, too.

Overall, we have a lot of problems to handle before we can head on out to resume our expedition. I just wish this can all end as soon as possible before we accidentally dig ourselves another hole.

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _For the POV discussions, this will probably be a one-time thing to give everyone a chance to express their thoughts. But later on, I'll probably do more for the key characters, such as Sonic and Savage. Anyway, we got to know how the others feel. What do you think about what has happened so far?_

 _Next time on Revengeful Resistance, Knuckles will confront Sonic and Savage as they set aside their issues between one another. Eventually, they will also participate in their first mission together as the quest to overthrow the Eggman Empire continues. Leave your thoughts down below, follow/favorite for more, and I'll see you all in Ch. 15. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I don't have any ideas or plans to integrate Cream into the story as a main character since her character and the concept of war don't mingle well together. Maybe I'll include her as a minor character later on, maybe not._

 ** _(2):_** _I didn't give a POV discussion for Omega because I have the most trouble giving him dialogue, even in third-person. In this case, he's excluded._

 ** _(3):_** _Frankly, Tails should have been portrayed in a better way, not just in Forces, but also in the past several Sonic games. In the past, he's fought enemies in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2. He later turned into a know-it-all and a complainer in Colors and Lost World. Then, Sega gave up on him and decided to make him the coward who doesn't do shit and no one likes at all. Even though some people dislike Tails, I need to do justice to him since he has the potential to be better than the role he was given. That's basically why I changed his behavior in Ch. 2._


	15. Ch 15: Reconciliation

_A/N:_ _Another huge thanks to those who have either read, reviewed, favorited, and/or followed Revengeful Resistance to this day. Unfortunately, updates won't be frequent, but I'll try to get them in whenever I can. I've already planned out what will take place for the next ten or so chapters. All I have to do is write them down, and here's one of them._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic is not owned by me. I only take credit for this rewrite._

* * *

 **Chapter 15:** Reconciliation

 _Location: Death Egg_

Up in outer space, the Death Egg remained intact even after Sonic escaped with the Resistance. Eggman ordered Orbot and Cubot to take care of disposing the deceased prisoners who either failed to escape or were threatened by his army. Of course, the robot minions weren't very thrilled that they were forced to complete a repulsive chore. It was both tough and time-consuming for the robots. But thankfully, they finished getting rid of the corpses. Now, they had to clean up the blood stains.

"Ugh, this is disgusting," Cubot complained as he rubbed the hallway floor with a soapy sponge.

"It is, but the boss wants us to jettison these prisoners out of sight so they won't deteriorate and stink up the place," Orbot wiped the walls in a circular motion.

"Do you think Dr. Eggman went a bit overboard to instruct the Egg Pawns and his other robots to slaughter the prisoners?"

"Cubot, please. I don't want the topic of massacre to be stuck in my head."

"Stop dawdling and get back to work!" they heard Eggman shout across the hallway. His footsteps approached them.

"Oh, dear. Here we go again."

"Did you get rid of those animals for good?" Eggman questioned.

"Y-Yes, sir," Cubot hesitated for a second. "They're being thrown out of the Death Egg by the Pawns as of right now."

"What?!" Eggman furiously grabbed the yellow bot's square noggin. "I told you to discard the bodies, not give them a burial in space!"

"But how else are we supposed to get rid of them? You never specified!"

The doctor tossed Cubot into Orbot, knocking him to the ground. "I wanted those animals cremated!"

"Cremated?" Orbot groaned. "Why do you prefer turning their bodies into ash?"

"Because maybe I like having urns of ash as a collection! It'll remind me of the many innocent creatures that are gone from this world thanks to my brilliant plan!"

"First you go from kidnapping little critters and placing them into capsules or your Badniks to eradicating them and burning their bodies? Doesn't that sound a little... I don't know, messed up?" Cubot gave his opinion.

"Grr... I'll tell you what's messed up! You lousy buffoons let Sonic escape from his prison! I was so close to ending his life for good!"

"If you wanted him to perish, why didn't you do in the first place after Infinite and the others knocked him down?" countered Orbot.

Eggman became more frustrated than irate. "Shut up! Both of you! Go back to scrubbing this blood off my walls!" he yelled before he left them alone.

Orbot and Cubot gave each other a glance before they lowered their heads and sighed.

"I'm not happy about this."

"What _is_ there to be happy about?"

"Toosh," Cubot nodded.

Orbot blinked. "It's _touché_."

"What? I thought it was always pronounced 'toosh'."

"That's an informal term for the behind."

"Behind where?"

Orbot shook his head. "Just go back to cleaning."

Eggman headed down to one of the dungeons where all the remaining prisoners were held. He reached the end of the room and stopped at a security door. With a keypad, he typed in a four-digit password before entering inside. Eggman strolled down the long hallway until he reached the end where an individual was tethered by chains against the back wall. The bizarre part about it was the person being restrained. Not only that, but he was also wearing a mechanical collar.

"Why do you keep doing this to me?"

Eggman grabbed a remote from a nearby table. Without answering his question, he pointed the antenna at the animal. Pressing a red button, the collar's lights turned on. The stranger screamed in pain from the shocking sensation around his neck. His entire body flinched as it endured for a short while. When Eggman released the button, he panted heavily with his face hanging down.

"I trained you for just a few days to become my most powerful and brilliant creation ever to defeat Sonic. You did do your job, but now he's gone by the time my utopia was nearly complete."

"And you're blaming me for this?"

"Of course I am! I may have given you the responsibility to continuously torture him, but I'm supposed to be the one to officially end his life! And because your running mouth kept defying me, you're getting another punishment from yours truly!"

"How is it my fault? You're the one who didn't immediately kill him in the first place!" Another roaring shock hurt the creature. "AAHHH! STOP IT!"

"This is what I mean about you running your stupid, little mouth! Maybe if you didn't back sass me, you wouldn't be in this predicament! You're lucky I'm keeping you alive, and I want you to follow my orders without any arguments! When your punishment is over, go find any members of the Resistance and make them suffer! If anything, that'll coax Sonic to help them. Then you'll bring him back up here where I will kill him! If you fail me again, expect this again, but it'll be worse tenfold!" Eggman let go of the button again. "Are we clear about this?" he threatened in a deep voice. There was no response from his minion. "Are... we... _clear_?"

He gave a defeated sigh. "Y-Yes... W-We're c-clear..."

This time, the doctor pushed a green button. Some automatic claws reached out to unlock the chains off his wrists and shins. When he was free, the animal fell roughly on the metal ground.

"Hmph. At least I don't have to see the scar that I gave you. That's what you deserve the first time you tried to fight back. Now put on your mask and do as I say. I don't want to see your ugly face again until you bring me back my target."

Infinite didn't move once until Eggman left the room. Once he knew that he was all alone, he let out a small groan, followed by a desperate cry from all the agony he experienced.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

It had already been an hour since Sonic and Savage had their confrontation in front of the main members of the Resistance. It was bad enough that their recruits from the Spaceport mission saw the orange wolf involuntarily harmed a young kid. They were all lucky that neither of them nor the escaped prisoners saw the physical fight that Sonic started.

Knuckles remained by his lonesome in the main computer room, scrutinizing a map of Mobius on the large screen. He was scouting Eggman's massive territory and detecting any presences of his army. It was likely that Eggman sent his allies to cause more mayhem. Knuckles didn't have any luck or reports on the bad guys, but a soldier contacted him.

"This is Spot, reporting from Green Hill Zone. Do you come in, Commander?"

"I hear you loud and clear. What's the situation?"

"We found one of Eggman's military armories in the desert region of Green Hill. It's in Arsenal Pyramid, one of the few locations that have been responsible for administering his infinite sets of Egg Pawns, Badniks, and all sorts of robots, including the Death Egg Sentinels that are storming in Red Gate!"

"Excellent work."

"Are you going to head there now, sir?"

"Actually, I've got some personal issues to take care of. But I'll take care of that tomorrow morning. I'll go down myself and maybe add some backup to destroy Arsenal Pyramid."

"Did you say, 'tomorrow morning'? Why not tonight?"

"Again, it's personal issues, Spot. Everyone's already tired as well, so they're all staying put for the night. Besides, you and your squad need rest, too. Go to sleep, be on the lookout for any possible ambushes, and get ready first thing at seven o'clock sharp."

"As you wish, Commander. Have a good night's sleep."

"Same to you, over."

Lounging back in his chair, the echidna let out a deep sigh before taking a sip of water from his cup. After drinking all of it, he crushed the plastic and threw it over his shoulder. The cup made its way to the circular rim of the wastebasket before it swirled in for two points. Knuckles pushed his hands off his knees as he stood up from the computer. He made his way to the staircase, hoping he could talk to Savage before turning in. When he reached the wolf's room, he knocked twice.

"Savage? Are you in there?" There was no response. "Savage? Raff?" he called for the other wolf, assuming he made his way to bed. Still, nothing but silence.

When he tried opening the door, he was surprised that it was unlocked in the first place. But he was more shocked at what he saw inside. Sitting in the far corner, hiding behind the side of his bed, was the orange wolf. He wasn't wearing his broken glasses.

"Savage?"

"Knuckles. W-What are you doing here?" he covered his right wrist with his hand.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"I... I fell off when I was sleeping. Then I... I just didn't feel like getting up."

He was confused by the wolf's behavior, but that's when he saw something else. He could barely see the tip of a sharp object below his legs. "Savage, stand up."

"No," he quickly denied.

There was an awkward pause before Knuckles spoke, narrowing his eyes. "Why not?"

"I-I broke... my leg... from falling down."

"Your leg looks fine to me."

"Well, it hurts, okay?!"

"Savage, don't lie to me. Stand up, _now_."

It felt awkward to Savage that someone who's younger and shorter, yet stronger and braver than him, is dictating him to follow his commands. Shaking uncomfortably, he rotated his wrist so that it was facing the floor. He extended his hand out to Knuckles so he could be pulled up. As he was standing, he stepped over the object on the wooden floor.

"Savage, move your feet."

The rookie blinked and gulped. Shutting his eyes, he stepped backwards to reveal a sharp knife, fresh blood found on the edge of the blade. Knuckles nonchalantly picked it up. He grasped it in his hands and examined it carefully. At the same time, Savage was anxious. He wanted to run away when Knuckles glanced at him with a glare. It wasn't out of anger though. Knuckles' face was written with a mix of disappointment and shock. Then, he reached out to Savage's right arm and turned it around. That's where he saw three new cuts beneath the coat of his thin fur. He could only shake his head.

"Savage, why?"

Embarrassed and ashamed, he didn't have an answer. The wolf's head lowered to the floor so he wouldn't face his leader.

"I'll try my best not to be mad, I promise. But you have some explaining to do."

Savage finally responded to him. "F-Fine..." he shuddered.

"Come on. Let's heal those cuts, and then we'll head over to the main room, just in case Raff sees you again. We'll talk from there."

Savage awkwardly fumbled to find his glasses. He hoped they can be fixed by someone as soon as possible. When he placed them on his face, Knuckles got a first aid kit and applied some treatment over his lacerations. Once he was done, they exited the room and went downstairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic returned to the base after his run. Since he didn't have a pass to open up the secret lair, he stood outside. After he had his run, he slightly calmed down.

Emphasis on the word, _slightly_.

What Eggman had done to him was unforgivable, all because he was the one guy to maintain peace in the world he lives in and loves since he was born. When the doctor had enough of Sonic and his countless heroics, he did whatever he could to absolutely break his demeanor. He coaxed Shadow to join the dark side. He reunited with Zavok after the other Zeti got defeated in the Lost Hex. He managed to bring Chaos back to an evil spirit when he was supposed to be peaceful. He made Metal Sonic more dangerous and malevolent than before. He kidnapped him and kept him restrained under harsh living standards for months. He destroyed the majority of Mobius. He became the ultimate leader of the planet. But the worst thing in Sonic's mind (and yes, this has to be repeated) was that he planned to kill Tails.

To say he lost his spirit was an understatement. After all, he didn't hold back when he fought Zavok in the Death Egg. He showed how capable he was at fighting to this day despite his confinement. Sonic may have admitted that Eggman broke him down in ways he couldn't imagine, but that didn't mean he was going to give up and let Eggman continue his reign.

 _"I've got six months of payback that I'm determined to spend. And it starts by taking back our home."_

Sonic leaned against the wall, his hand planted on the bricks.

 _"It's only going to last for a while until I completely end you for good!"_

The blue hedgehog had never considered killing his lifelong nemesis for good. He thought it didn't feel right. Eggman wasn't too overly obsessive whenever he planned out his chances for domination, but he had been known for losing his cool and trying to go over the top with his tricks. None of his failed attempts in the past matched up to this one event. It still baffled Sonic that he was able to succeed for the first time. And it's all thanks to his legion of bad guys, including Infinite. He wanted vengeance on all of those guys. He already got Zavok, so that left five more. Albeit, Chaos probably doesn't deserve to be punished. He was never under the impression as an evil spirit to begin with. **_(1)_** Maybe he'll rebuke him, more or less. But the idea of death? It's on his mind, that's for sure. Yet it didn't seem right. Either way, Metal, Shadow, Infinite, and Eggman were the main culprits.

As for Savage, Sonic was already regretting his choice to assault him. The things he said were so true that it angered him. He didn't want to move on from the loss of his little brother. But shit happens all the time, whether it's good or bad. Although he had been furious for what Savage said earlier, he had some good points. And if Tails was hypothetically here, or in spirit so that he could hear his voice, he'd probably tell him to move on. Tails wasn't selfish for himself. Sonic knew from experience that he valued others more than himself. He might have relied on the hedgehog too much in the past, but that wasn't the point. His heart, mind, and soul were pure, devoid of any self-centered traits. Sonic was conflicted at this point.

His train of thought was soon disrupted when he heard a door open. He saw Knuckles and Savage emerge from the top of the metal staircase.

"Sonic."

"Knuckles. Savage."

"Well, this is awkward," the wolf groaned.

"Excuse us, Sonic. But I need to have a private chat with Savage."

"Actually, can I join in? I have to say something to him."

"Are you thinking about tackling me again?"

"No," he immediately shook his head and held up his hands. "I really need to talk to you."

"Can't it wait until I'm done with him?"

"Knux, please. I really have to say something."

The echidna pinched his nose. "So much for having a private conversation. Okay, fine. But the two of you need to promise that you won't start another fight or get on each other's nerves."

"I promise."

"So do I."

"Alright then. Let's head on in."

Knuckles swiped his Resistance ID as the front door opened. The three got situated where they all pulled some chairs together in a triangle.

"Ugh, where do we begin here?" Knuckles tapped his foot. "The first thing that's positive about this is that you're back here, Sonic. That's a relief considering that most of the world thought you were gone. Now that you're ready to take down Eggman, it removes some of that stress off their shoulders as they continue to help us fight...

"As for the downsides, there's an obvious topic to talk about as well. Actually, more than one. Savage, you were rude to Raff when he was heartbroken about his friend. Yelling at him was unnecessary, the same goes for the swearing. He was experiencing grief, and the least you could've done was sympathize. How do you think the Chaotix felt when you told them your issue with Raff?"

"They listened to me, and they felt bad."

"Exactly. Vector, Charmy, and Espio wanted nothing more than to help you get through that tough feeling. And what you did about Raff's predicament was the complete opposite. You should've never berated him about that."

Savage felt guilty. "It's sad that I didn't realize it until now. Man... Raff must really hate me, even more than what I did to him years ago," he dug his hands beneath his glasses. "Why did I do that?"

"Your temper got the best of you. But believe me. It happens to everyone. I can admit that I've been prone to bursting out in anger."

Sonic can confirm that this was true, but he refrained from saying anything.

"I'm pretty sure that if you sincerely apologize, Raff will forgive you."

"Is that guaranteed or a possibility?"

"Hopefully the first option. But the other thing I need to talk to you about is that you need to stop inflicting yourself. I'm deeply concerned if the stress gets to you, but you need to fight it off. If Raff catches you doing that again, he'll be extremely disappointed."

Sonic looked over at the wolf and realized that there was gauze covering up some blood. He was surprised he never recognized it earlier.

Savage exhaled deeply. "I really have no choice. I'll apologize once I see him, and I'll make sure _this_ will never happen again," he pointed at his wrist.

"Good. As for the next subject, Sonic," Knuckles faced him, "I can't blame you for being in a bad mood. But attacking Savage and initiating another fight between us was uncalled-for."

"I understand. And that's why I wanted to speak with him." He turned over to the wolf. Sonic cringed when he saw the cracked lenses. "Savage, I'm really sorry that I attacked you out of impulse. I wasn't myself back there."

"I accept your apology, Sonic. Honestly, I shouldn't have said those things that made you angry."

"Nah, it's fine. I'm through with that. It's complicated, really."

"About Tails and his death?"

The hedgehog bit his lip. "Yeah. I wasn't on board with the whole 'acceptance' stage yet. I refused to go down that road. He's my best friend and little bro, you know? I got jealous when you and Raff reunited. That's part of the reason why I envied you. But I'm seriously glad the two of you are alright. I really am."

"Thanks, Sonic."

Knuckles scratched his head. "We wished we could've saved you earlier, but all we did was fail to find you and defend this world on our own."

"Don't blame yourself, Knux. It's all Eggman's fault. And partially mine as well. If only I wasn't so overconfident like every other time. And maybe Tails wouldn't have gotten hurt."

"Sonic, I know you said you wanted payback against Eggman and the others. Believe me, all of us want revenge. He has stooped way too low by murdering thousands of innocent people. And we'll do our best now that we got the fastest thing alive on our side again."

"Good to hear that you understand my dilemma."

"Actually, because of that, I have a proposal to make. Originally, we were just a band of living animals who wanted nothing but peace restored here in Mobius. We were simply called the Resistance. But since all of our mindsets are on one particular goal, I want us to be called the Revengeful Resistance from now on."

"Revengeful Resistance, huh? I like the alliteration," Sonic gave a small smile.

"I'm down with that name. I could easily taste the feeling of reprisal," said Savage.

"Speaking of which, is that why you despise Eggman? Because you thought he killed Raff?"

"Well, there's that. But I bet Vector and Espio didn't explain my previous background. Before you stepped in as a hero in Green Hill years ago, Eggman captured my parents. Since we fled here to make a living in Red Gate, I assumed they were gone for good. That's why Raff and I became orphans. It's why I have an aversion towards that overweight bastard. And after Infinite took Raff away from me, it gave me a reason to become someone like you."

"Yeah, you did mention that to me before I... you know."

"All I want is to not be a pathetic, timid wolf anymore. Raff's a lot braver and bolder than me, and I feel disgraceful whenever I can't stoop to his level. He shouldn't be going through all this at a young age. Then again, Tails has managed to be valuable to you and your friends. Either way, I always think that I'm not capable enough to support him if I'm just the same guy who fled away when my mom and dad got abducted. I needed to change, and that started by becoming tougher, stronger, and faster. And the main goal in mind was to plot my revenge on Eggman for destroying my life and family."

"Man, I never knew. I'm very sorry, Savage. I know how it feels to be alone."

"Thanks. But at least you've managed to become the person you are today. You've done so much to help our world not fall under Eggman's control. We all can't thank you enough."

"I don't need thanks. It's just what I do. But I appreciate the comment. And besides, this is the first time Egghead has overachieved his destiny. Now it's about tearing it all down."

"In that case, we'll start tomorrow morning when everyone is well rested. I've received news that one of Eggman's military bases is found Green Hill Zone: The Arsenal Pyramid. If the factory is dismantled, it'll mean that Eggman's weaker line of enemies will hardly impede us. That'll be the first step in the fight. We can worry about the Death Egg Robots in Red Gate later until we're absolutely confident that they can be destroyed without anyone getting hurt or worse. I've already made plans that I'll head on over there. As for the others, I'll have to assign everyone some tasks or to remain here in our HQ."

"I'll go with you, Knux. I'd like to get a piece of the action."

The commander didn't even try to decline. "Alright, Sonic. You're in."

"Knuckles, I would like to gain permission to join you and Sonic on the journey to Arsenal Pyramid."

"Are you sure, Savage? You've already done a lot as a rookie so far. I don't want to tire you out too much."

"Trust me. I want to go. And plus, I would like to learn a few tips from both of you on how to be stronger and more experienced in fighting robots. After all, you guys are no strangers."

Sonic genuinely smirked at him. "I'm cool with that." Based on his reaction, Savage felt reassured that they're on good terms now.

"If that's what you want, then okay. You're in." **_(2)_**

"Thanks, Knuckles."

"I think this went better than I expected. Now go on up and get some rest. You guys deserve it."

"Cool. G'night, Knux," Sonic stood up.

"See you in the morning," Savage followed him.

The hedgehog and the wolf made their way to their rooms. Before they went their separate ways, Savage stopped Sonic for a second.

"Hey, Sonic?"

"Yeah, Savage?"

"I'm going to do whatever I can to help you beat Eggman and his army."

Sonic gave a nod to him. "I appreciate it."

"Well, have a good night's sleep."

"You too, dude."

Sonic watched Savage enter his room. Once he closed the door, he made his way to his dormitory. He laid down on the bed and stared out the window. The fire and smoke disturbed him. Eventually, he went off to dreamland, but not before he made a silent vow.

 _"Tails, I will avenge you."_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _After a long and important chat, Sonic and Savage have put aside the past and agreed to join forces. That means that the Blue Blur will be ready for his first mission as a member of the newly named Revengeful Resistance. How will he do with Knuckles and the Rookie? As for the antagonists' side, we got a glimpse of Eggman causing harm to his strongest assistant. What was the point of that?_

 _Let me know what you think about this one. Review down below, tell me if I need to fix anything, follow/favorite for more chapters, and I'll see you next time for Ch. 16! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I'm sure that most people would understand this. But in case if anyone doesn't know, in Sonic Adventure, Chaos was known to be kind towards the Chao creatures. But he became corrupted by negative emotions when Pachacamac (Tikal's father) and his clan launched an attack at the Altar of the Emeralds. Chaos was led to anger, deviating from his peaceful nature and tried to ruin the whole world after wiping the echidna and his tribe. Super Sonic defeated him in his most powerful form which brought him back to his original character. His alignment is known to be neutral, but technically he wouldn't be evil if he wasn't incensed by the events prior to the start of the game. (Correct me if there is anything wrong about this detail.)_

 ** _(2):_** _Sonic and the avatar were the playable characters in the level immediately following Sonic's rescue. But I wanted Knuckles to be a part of this so that he can be more active in the war rather than stand in the sidelines and report through his communicator._


	16. Ch 16: The First of Many Runs

_A/N:_ _I'm expecting this to be the only upload in October. But we'll see if I have time and motivation to do some more writing done for this and New Brotherhood when school doesn't get in the way. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter._

 ** _*NOTE:_** ** _This chapter has been re-edited as of 10/7/18 because of added dialogue._**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _What? You still think I own Sonic and all the other characters? Of course you don't, because you know that's facts._

* * *

 **Chapter 16:** The First of Many Runs

 _~Flashback: Before Eggman's invasion_

 _..._

 _Location: Mystic Ruins_

It was a bright and sunny day, the rays shining down on the small house on the hill. Sonic was in the kitchen making breakfast as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at the person.

 _"Morning, Tails."_

 _"Hey, Sonic! Whatcha making?"_

 _"Eggs and toast. I'm almost done with your plate."_

 _"Thanks!"_

Sonic chuckled every time he heard Tails' voice. So innocent, yet so energetic as his mind was full of intelligence. Albeit, whenever he began a discussion about a new invention he built or a new modification he added to the Tornado, Sonic had a hard time understanding his words half the time since he uses big and complicated terms that left him befuddled. However, it was always nice to hear him whenever he was in a good mood.

A few minutes later, Sonic laid down the plates on the table. The two chowed down until the hedgehog spoke up.

 _"So, Tails, got any plans today?"_

 _"I sure do. I'm hoping to fix the Tornado and add some new upgrades. But it means I have to go out and find some new parts before I can even get started."_

 _"How long have you been working on the plane last night?"_

 _"A couple hours."_

 _"Tails, come on. You can tell me the truth."_

He yawned before sighing. _"Okay. I stayed up until one in the morning."_ His face turned immediately guilty. _"I'm sorry, Sonic. I just really want to finish it before anything unexpected happens. Because if I don't make it perfect, something might backfire, and it could cause some consequences."_

 _"Tails, you got plenty of time. Egghead's been very quiet over the past several months. Even if he does have something big planned, we'll always stop him, just like old times!"_

 _"I guess so. But Eggman is very intricate to deal with. Whenever he gets in our way, something bad always occurs. For instance, I almost lost my friendship with you ever since we teamed up with him on the Lost Hex."_

 _"You still can't get that out of your mind?"_

The fox shook his head. _"All because I acted like a jerk to him, and I nearly lost respect from you when I started arguing with you. It got worse when I attached Cubot to that Crabmeat, and I nearly killed myself accidentally. Then, when the Zeti got a hold of me, I was stuck. They were planning to roboticize me in order to subdue you and join their side. If I didn't escape, I could've killed you, thus ending our relationship permanently. I don't want that to happen. I don't want to be the reason why your life ends."_

Sonic placed his utensils down on the table and gave his friend a serious stare. _"Please don't think like that, Tails. I don't care how many mistakes you made. I don't care how many times we may argue with each other. I don't care if Eggman tries to cause a rift between us. No matter what happens, I will always trust you."_

 _"Do you really mean that?"_

 _"Absolutely. We'll always stick together as brothers until the end. And I know you will never mean any harm on purpose. Even if you hurt me or you somehow become the cause of my death, I would never blame you."_

 _"Why wouldn't you though?"_

 _"Because you're my little bro."_

Tails tried really hard not to form tears in his eyes. _"I just don't want to let you down."_

Sonic got up from his chair walked over to him. He gently placed a hand on his shoulder. _"And you never will. Just know this, Tails. We're not perfect. We can deal with our mistakes and learn from them. If something bad happens, just promise me that you'll move on and bounce back."_

The two-tailed vulpine took in his words and responded with a small smile. _"Okay, Sonic. I will."_

Sonic returned the expression. _"There you go, buddy!"_

After they finished breakfast, Tails was ready to head out. _"I'll see you later, Sonic."_

 _"Okay, Tails! Talk to you soon!"_ Little did he know that was the last conversation he had with him before it all went down.

 _~End of flashback **(1)**_

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Sonic blinked his eyes open after his dream. For once, he didn't sleep through a nightmare. However, it was a sad piece of nostalgia. He almost didn't realize that he woke up with water on the edge of his eyelids. Today was a new day though. He didn't have time to sit around and become depressed. He had a job to do, and it started right now. He was going to help take back Mobius from Eggman's hands and seek revenge for his lost friend.

Now that he had joined the Resistance, the Blue Blur was going out for his first collaborative mission. But before he could leave, Knuckles had plans for the other members, so he set up a team meeting. By six-thirty sharp, they all gathered inside the computer room.

"Morning, everybody. Hope you all had a good night's sleep. I want to start off by saying that whatever happened yesterday stays there. But we're going to move past that. And that's because Sonic and Savage will be joining me on a quest to Green Hill Zone."

Everyone looked apprehensive from Knuckles' announcement.

"Don't worry, guys. Savage and I are on good terms now. We've both apologized, and we're ready to rumble," Sonic reassured the group.

"Are you sure about that?" Charmy wondered.

"We are," Savage gave an okay sign. He also got a new pair of glasses that was supplied by one of the medics.

"As an update, Spot contacted me last night that one of Eggman's military bases is located inside the Arsenal Pyramid. We devise to eradicate the factory so we can stop the assembly lines and prevent more robots from attacking the city and the rest of Mobius so they wouldn't be as big of a distraction."

"So, what does that mean for us?" Espio asked.

"I have assigned you guys to some roles for today's assignment. Rouge and Omega, you two will continue your search mission to find Shadow. There's a possibility he might come back if he wasn't found in the Death Egg. It's your choice of where you want to start. Blaze and Silver, I'm sending you to Mystic Jungle to take down Eggman's army. We got reports that more Egg Pawns and other underlings are invading the area. Vector, Espio, and Charmy, do the same thing, except head over to Metropolis. Amy and Raff, remain here in Red Gate to protect our base and the city folk. In the meantime, look up any information on Dr. Eggman and the other enemies' whereabouts. If at any time there is a distress call or emergency from either group, meet up with them as soon as possible for backup. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact me. Are we clear on our roles?"

"Yes, Commander!" everyone replied.

"Oh, and one last announcement. Sonic, Savage, and I agreed to something else. From now on, our group will be known as the Revengeful Resistance. By that, I mean we will let Eggman know that we won't back down under his rule, and we will seek vengeance for every damned thing he did to ruin our world."

"Revengeful Resistance? That sounds appealing to me," Rouge smirked.

"We shall live up to its name by accomplishing our jobs," Omega was determined.

"Might as well begin now. We'll do our best to recover Mobius!" Vector shouted.

Once everyone was on board, Blaze, Silver, Team Dark, and the Chaotix all left the post. Savage, Knuckles, and Sonic were about to head out until Amy and Raff gave their regards.

"Good luck out there," Raff told him.

"Thanks, bro," Savage responded.

"Sonic, I have total faith in you. Just please be careful out there," Amy wished.

The hedgehog showed a confident smirk, a look that was very familiar to her. "I will, Ames."

"Ready, guys?" Knuckles glanced at his teammates. They both gave one last nod for confirmation. "Alright. Let's move out!"

* * *

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Green Hill seemed to be the same as before the last time Sonic ran through this landscape. Lush, green grass, tall trees, large loop-de-loops, the normal parts of this region. Then, there's the desert that has remained there since Eggman's attacks. The Arsenal Pyramid was far away, meaning that the heroes had a long way to travel. For Sonic, he can get there in no time. Savage and Knuckles were quick on the paths, but they weren't close to the hedgehog's top speed. They all took one good look at the scenery in front of them. Just then, someone contacted Knuckles.

"This is Spot, reporting. Come in, Commander."

"Knuckles here. My team has arrived in Green Hill."

"Excellent news! We're currently holding down some of the doctor's troops here. We're going to do our best to make sure they won't get in your way. As a reminder, the weapons factory is held inside Arsenal Pyramid. Our squad and some reinforcements from Chemical Plant arrived to stall these bums."

"That's all the information we need, Spot. You guys got that?" he turned to Sonic and Savage.

"I heard it loud and clear!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up. Savage gave a nod of approval.

"Do you guys need any additional forces at the moment?"

"I think the three of us will be fine for now. If not, Amy and Raff from headquarters are our backup partners. Nevertheless, I'll give you a message if there's an emergency."

"Copy that. Tell Sonic I give my regards, and good luck out there!"

"Roger. Over and out," Knuckles ended the call.

"So, Savage, you ready to get your run on?"

"I think I am. But there's no way I'm going to catch up to you. I don't think I'm fast as the boss here."

"Don't worry, man. I'll try not to dash too far ahead. And Knuckles isn't really _that_ fast, unless it's assaulting me whenever I get him into a fit."

"You're already making me have one, and this is no time to make jokes. I thought you were more serious about this."

"I am, Knux. But I gotta loosen up every once in a while. It's been so long since I got to push your buttons."

The echidna rolled his eyes. "Let's just get going already."

Sonic charged first down the desert hill with Knuckles and Savage running behind yet close by. After the first decline, they found several Egg Pawns blocking the path. Sonic dashed through all of them with ease. He jumped and performed a chain reaction of homing attacks for the ones that shot lasers at him. He dodged all of the projectiles narrowly before crushing them. Savage got his turn in combat by using his Burst Wispon, spewing streams of fire at the foes effortlessly to clear the road. Knuckles glided with his fists extending out in front of him. The underlings were demolished as he fled through a line of ten Egg Pawns. He went for some high ground before skydiving below to pounce on another set of baddies.

At the end of the hill, they jumped on a set of bumpers where a huge amount of sand fell into the pit that they soared over. However, Sonic was about to fall down.

"Whoa!"

"Sonic! Grab onto my hand!" Savage yelled. After he did so, the wolf shot out his grappler at the midair target above the gap. They flew over to the other side while Knuckles maintained his gliding ability. They reached an upper-level platform, taking out an Egg Pawn in the process.

"Whoa! Didn't see that coming!" Sonic was impressed. "Nice move, Savage!"

"Thanks. Glad you liked that," Savage felt a little embarrassed.

"Is something wrong?"

"Um, well, it's not every day someone like you gives a compliment to an ordinary guy like me."

"It doesn't matter that you're 'ordinary'. You've got special skills right there, and you're putting them to the test! If you can contribute to the team by breaking me out of prison, then you can help take down Eggman!"

That gave Savage a boost of confidence. "Thanks, Sonic. I appreciate it."

"Guys! Up this way!" Knuckles got their attention.

The two got back on track as they went after him. They all zipped up to a series of golden rings, gaining some speed along the way. A few Egg Pawns blasted some fire and lasers at the trio, but they all avoided the hazards and obliterated them to a pulp. Savage grabbed Sonic again as they ground against a metal railing. They dashed onto a ramp before the hedgehog had something audacious on his mind.

"Savage, you know how you were talking about not being as fast as me?"

"Yeah. Why do you bring that up?"

"You've helped me leap over wide gaps with that trusty hook of yours. Now I want to return the favor, so I'll take the lead here."

"What are you thinking about, Sonic?" Knuckles questioned him.

"It doesn't matter what obstacles or how many robots they put in our way. Come on, Savage! Let's double boost together! We'll blow past everything they throw at us!" the Blue Blur grabbed him by the hand.

"Sonic, wait a minute-"

"Here we go!"

"AAAHHHH! HOLY CRAP!" Savage was bursting at supersonic speed that the sound barrier broke. A deafening tone rang into his ears. Unsurprisingly, Sonic wasn't affected in the slightest. He maintained a signature smirk on his muzzle.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was left behind as he saw Sonic and the rookie zip down the metal lane, extracting every single Egg Pawn and Badnik that was in their way.

"Damn it, Sonic," he facepalmed. "Well, at least the coast is clear. Better hope Rookie doesn't throw up."

He didn't... Yet. The bile in his body felt like going up as he tried to get used to the overwhelming pace. Never had he ever experienced such an exhilarating sprint like this. Going up the incline of the pyramid, Sonic was having the time of his life. It was like all the energy rejuvenated back into his soul, alleviating the pressure and torture he suffered previously.

"WHOO-HOO! That's how it's done!" he and Savage busted past the remaining adversaries. "Man, it's been long since I've ran like this! We've got unstoppable speed and timing! How does it feel, Savage?!"

"I'm feeling something alright! But it's not adrenaline!"

"What is it? You keeping up with me?"

"Sort of... Oh, god..."

"What's wrong?"

"Please stop for a second!"

Sonic noticed the nauseous look on his face. Once they reached the top of the pointed structure, he stopped the speed run to let Savage rest. Feeling woozy, the wolf leaned forward, placing a hand over his stomach and the other over his knee.

"You okay, man?"

Savage didn't give a response until he leaned over a railing and heaved. The barf ended up landing on a Crabmeat, instantly neutralizing it.

"Ugh, shit... That's not good at all."

"Sorry about that, Savage. I guess I shouldn't have made you go through that."

"Yeah, it was very new to me. But I accept your apology. I need my head to stop spinning."

After the wolf regained consciousness, Knuckles caught up to the duo. He looked very pissed at Sonic.

"Thanks for leaving me behind. Rookie better not have gotten sick from your fun run," Knuckles chastised.

"Ooh, yeah... Um, you're a bit too late on that," Sonic awkwardly shrugged.

"Chaos," Knuckles mumbled.

"I'm fine right now, sir. Trust me."

"I told you, just call me Knuckles. But if you definitely feel fine now, then let's continue."

"That must be the entrance over there," Sonic pointed at a large aperture.

The commander received another call on his device. "Hello?"

"Knuckles! How are you doing with Sonic and Savage?" Amy called.

"We're doing alright. The guys have taken down the forces outside the pyramid at least. But Rookie got sick along the way."

"How come?" Raff sounded worried.

"Sorry about that, Raff. I took your older bro out for the quickest run he has ever had so far. And... I might have gotten him sick."

"Sonic! Are you serious?!" Amy was appalled.

"I'm okay, Amy! I swear! Don't blame him. It was sort of fun, now that I think about it. I need to get used to the high-speed thrills though."

"Only if you say so," Raff seemed unsure.

"I am, little bro. We got this."

"Why have you called us, Amy?" Knuckles asked.

"Oh yeah! Raff and I were trying to investigate the inside of Arsenal Pyramid from what we researched. Are you at the apex by any chance?"

"Huh, what a coincidence. That's where we are right now!" exclaimed Sonic.

"Great! You can dive right into the hole, but you'll have to avoid the lasers that are blocking the entrance."

"Be sure to stay alert for other perils and enemies that could unpredictably fly into you!" Raff warned.

"Sounds good to us. Let's jam inside!"

The three went headfirst as they saw lasers appear while descending below. Carefully minding them, Knuckles, Savage, and Sonic landed safely in the interior of the factory. However, more Egg Pawns and Badniks fired their weapons at them. Knuckles bashed and punched a group to his left while Savage charged the Burst Wispon and decimated the enemies on the right. Sonic went up the middle and started another chain of homing attacks to clear the next pathway.

"It's really annoying how many bases and factories this guy has," muttered Sonic. "I _really_ think he's overcompensating."

"Regardless, it'll be Eggman's turn to get pushed around by the time we run into him again. He's not getting away with all this," Savage growled, throwing the grappling hook onto another target to swing himself and Sonic over a set of large gears.

More bad guys spawned on the platform, surrounding the trio. They divvied up the circle, taking out five foes each. The next section of the factory was accessible, allowing Knuckles to fly forward and trample on the Egg Pawns that attempted to shoot him. They reached another large gear with more Egg Pawns encircling them. Again, they divided and conquered with their abilities. It was literally a cakewalk through the weapons plant. But they knew the dangers would only get harder from here.

With all the Egg Pawns materializing from above, Knuckles was getting tired of the same procedure. **_(2)_** "We need to find the main source of this pyramid so we can destroy the machines and prevent more robots from being generated!"

Raff was able to locate where the assembly line was. "It's at the bottom of the factory. The robots are being transported to all sections of the pyramid, including the outside. If you can add firepower to overheat the system, the Arsenal Pyramid should be completely vanquished!"

"But won't the fire cause an explosion?" Savage thought. "Don't you think we should find an escape route so we don't get ourselves burned, or possibly killed?"

"There should be an emergency exit near the machines. As long as you hurry out of there, you can avoid the radius range from the explosions."

"Sounds risky, but we have to do it," said Knuckles.

"You can't be serious."

"I wish I wasn't."

Savage brought out his grappler and swung to the next part of the factory with Sonic. Knuckles followed in pursuit as they obliterated another dozen of Egg Pawns. Gliding against the floor, the traction allowed Sonic and Savage to avoid slipping and falling down the open spaces below. When Savage got to the desired location, he fired up the Wispon and sprayed the mechanism in flames. Sonic grabbed Savage, but he made sure not to get him sick again. The two of them dashed out with Knuckles as they reached the exit of the factory. Seconds later, they heard the explosion behind them. They didn't dare to look back as they thought it would only divert them from running away. Soon, they stopped at one of the highest green hills, overlooking the fire and smoke that burned Eggman's base.

"Yeah! We did it!" Sonic gave a high five to Knuckles.

"We sure did," Knuckles flashed a grin.

Savage let out a deep exhale, relieved that they were able to accomplish their goal. "That was both frightening and awesome at the same time."

"Hey, it's all thanks to you that we got into the factory and destroyed the whole thing!"

"Nicely done, Savage. We're both proud of you."

"Gee... Thanks, guys. Of course, I wouldn't have made it on my own. I'm glad I had some reliable teammates on my side."

"Anytime, Savage! Get used to this, and you'll be ready for more adventures. I got to say, this will probably the first of many runs with each other. I'm down to go on another mission with you sometime later."

"That would be nice. But maybe I should wait. I still feel a bit queasy from our run," Savage chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess so. Again, sorry about that."

"Oh, no. You're fine. Still, I'll definitely take an offer to venture with you, Sonic."

"Cool!"

"Well, guys, our job is done. Let's head back to home base," advised Knuckles. They agreed as Sonic and Savage smiled at one another. Despite their earlier scuffle, the hedgehog and the wolf took care of business by teaming up for the first time. And it certainly won't be the last one.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Sonic and Savage pairing up in the Arsenal Pyramid turned out to be a success. And I didn't want them to have all the action as I let Knuckles join them. With one of Eggman's factories gone, it will make this war a bit easier for the Resistance. Still, this is just a small step towards victory._

 _I'm going to be very excited to write the next chapter, but I'll have to find the time to get the chance. That's because Sonic will re-encounter Infinite since his Virtual Reality punishment in Ch. 8. To make things interesting, I'll be showing off something based off a video I watched. Discover what will be in store when the two face off in Ch. 17 of Revengeful Resistance! Please follow/favorite, leave a review down below, let me know if I need to fix any errors, and I'll see you next time! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _This is just a small background of what happened prior to Eggman's attack on Red Gate and the start of his ascent to power. Of course, there are some references to Sonic Lost World._

 ** _(2):_** _I've played through games that had recycled boss fights, similar themes, and all that. But the second half of this level felt utterly dull to me when all you do is get rid of circles of Egg Pawns repeatedly to move on to the next portion. Hopefully, I didn't make this too repetitive either._


	17. Ch 17: Send in the Clone

_A/N:_ _'Wow, TGN. You said the last chapter was probably the only one you'll upload this month.' Well, after another stressful week, I wanted to alleviate some of that tension by writing. I was too impatient and eager about this chapter that I decided to hold off New Brotherhood until later._

 _Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, one of the scenes will feature a concept from a video that I watched, as well as a fanfiction I've read before. The sources are at the bottom of the page for reference if you want to see. I don't know if any of you have ever stumbled upon either before. Regardless, this is where I got the idea to write this chapter. Let's see how this unfolds._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I only take credit for this rewrite. The inspiration for the upcoming boss fight comes from the sources found in the Post-Chapter Notes. I do not own any rights to either source._

* * *

 **Chapter 17:** Send in the Clone

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Knuckles, Savage, and Sonic made it back to the hideout with Raff and Amy waiting in front of the large screen. They turned around when the door opened.

"Sonic!"

"Savage!"

"Told you that we were going to be fine!" Sonic smiled.

"I take it that you destroyed the Arsenal Pyramid?"

"Sure did, Amy," Knuckles confirmed. "Thanks for the heads-up on the inside of the factory."

"Well, we just want to make sure nothing gets in your way. And you got the job done!"

"How was your first mission with Sonic?" Raff asked his brother.

"Very riveting. I got to know what it's like to double boost with the fastest thing alive. But, I did get a little sick from the speed run. I'm being honest, it's like going a million times quicker than how I normally run."

"Hmm... I wouldn't say a million times faster, but I don't want to brag too much."

"That's our Sonic," Knuckles rolled his eyes.

"Heh, don't act like _you_ don't brag most of the time."

"I'm just glad you've completed your first mission, Sonic. If you're hungry, there's leftovers in the fridge from last night. We don't have many resources for food and water, so we have to ration out with what we had. We're also getting low on water, so that's a major problem. Raff and I might have to head out to the city or any other location to transport more supplies for us and the people who joined us."

"Thanks, Amy. I'll make sure not to eat too many chili dogs in one sitting." He grabbed a plate and two chili dogs from a plastic container. "Just gonna pop these in the microwave." He also took a can of Chao Cola.

"Any reports on Eggman?" Knuckles asked Amy.

"None so far. At the moment, we're awaiting a status report on Shadow from Rouge and Omega. They started their search in Chemical Plant. The two haven't reported back to us yet. The Chaotix have told us that they're in Metropolis as we speak. We already know that's the capital of Eggman's utopia. The thing is, there's no sign of Eggman, Metal, or any of his other allies."

"By the way," Raff intervened, "Chaos was defeated twice. First in Red Gate City when I saved Amy and Rouge, and second on the Death Egg when Savage, the Chaotix, and I were locating the control room. It's still perplexing how he managed to get back on the Death Egg after I washed him out initially."

"The Chaotix did talk a little about it when we were on the shuttle," said Savage. "They believe that Eggman brought him back to life. If not, Infinite could be involved. The other thing is that Chaos seemed to disappear after some red cubes fell out from his body."

When Sonic took the chili dogs out of the microwave, his ears perked from that statement.

"That didn't happen the first time. Then again, I didn't pay attention to him after I defeated him."

"Not only that, but Silver and Blaze explained that they encountered Metal Sonic. After he got vanquished, Metal also went away with red cubes flying out, followed by a strange noise."

"Wait, did you say both Chaos and Metal had red cubes fall out from them?" Sonic questioned.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"It's weird because the same thing happened to Zavok before he disappeared as well."

Savage leaned back in bewilderment. "I didn't know that."

"Neither do I," Raff blinked.

"I don't get it. Why would they not only vanish after a defeat but do it in the same fashion? That can't be a coincidence," Knuckles put a hand on his chin.

"And Metal Sonic is technically a living thing since he was built by Eggman. Why would he be linked to this anomaly?" Amy didn't comprehend.

"Keep in mind that Zavok and Chaos are also living things, Amy. Basically, we've seen it apply to everyone but Shadow, Infinite, or Eggman so far. We never got a chance to encounter Shadow in months, which is very peculiar," Sonic laid a hand on his hip before chewing on a chili dog. "But I see where you're going with that. Metal Sonic is one of Eggman's top creations. It doesn't make sense if he went away all of a sudden."

"Do you think the same thing could happen to Shadow if we try to fight him?" Raff wondered.

Savage didn't think so. "That would be sketchy. However, we have gone through many unexpected moments. We won't know anything about this mystery unless we find out for ourselves."

"I'm starting to get a headache just pondering about it," Knuckles rubbed his temple.

"We'll get some answers. I'm sure of it," Sonic reassured, finishing his second chili dog.

"Hey, Raff?"

"Yes, Savage?"

"I... I need to talk to you about something."

"Sure. Do you want to head outside?"

"Yeah, that'd be good."

Raff walked over to the front door with Savage following from behind. The teenage rookie then stopped and turned around to look at Sonic and Knuckles. Both encouraged him with a nod before he nodded back as well. The wolves went up to their dormitory with Savage locking the door. He took a seat on the edge of his bed, opposite of Raff who was in the same position.

"So, what's on your mind?" Raff queried.

A deep sigh escaped Savage's lips. He wiped the lenses of his new glasses before putting them back on. "Considering how smart you are, I bet you know what this is about."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "About our fight last night?"

"Yes," Savage lowered his gaze to the floor. "After speaking with Knuckles and apologizing to Sonic, I knew I made a mistake to you. I should have never treated you like that. You were grieving over someone you actually lost. I had no reason to blow up in your face."

"Savage, we both lost our parents. I can understand why the stress is getting to you."

The red wolf shook his head. "I'm talking about recent history. Jake was your friend. I wasn't empathetic about your loss. He helped you escape. I should be grateful to him for letting me see my little brother again. I really thought I lost you. Instead, it was you who had to go through that kind of pain. And I was just selfish. I was only selfish about keeping you safe. What I should've done was comfort you, and I did the exact opposite. It makes my stomach churn once I clearly saw the problem. I completely regret my actions last night, both to you and Sonic. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not being an older brother to you."

Raff got up from his bed and embraced Savage, burying his head in his shoulder. The older wolf complied by moving his arms around Raff, holding him in endearment.

"I forgive you. But don't let that last sentence get to your head. You'll always be my big bro, no matter what."

Savage breathed out a soft exhale. He was glad Raff accepted his apology. "Thanks, Raff."

They remained there for another few minutes before letting each other go. Savage followed by rubbing the fur on his head. Raff laughed it off, causing Savage to smile.

"Come on. Let's head back down to the others."

"Sure thing."

When they returned to the computer room, Knuckles and Amy were back to work as they focused on the large screen. While Raff rejoined next to the pink hedgehog, Sonic came up to Savage.

"So, how did it go?"

"He forgives me. I feel much better now."

Sonic gave a genuine smile and patted his shoulder. "That's great to hear. I'm sure the two of you will continue to do a good job for the Resistance."

"I hope so as well."

Their nice moment was cut off from a call from Silver and Blaze.

"Blaze to HQ! Blaze to HQ! We have an emergency!"

"This is Amy. What's going on, Blaze?"

"Silver and I were assisting our troops to fight Eggman's robots. But we had to evacuate them because-"

"Blaze! Look out!" Silver yelled. A loud explosion was heard in the background.

"What's going on there?!" Knuckles demanded a quick answer.

"It's him! The jackal is back! He's interfering with us in Mystic Jungle!"

"We need backup right now!" Blaze ordered.

"Okay, Raff and I will-"

Before Amy could finish her sentence, Sonic ran up to the desk to talk into the microphone. "Don't worry, guys! I'm going there right now!" he hung up.

"Sonic! What was that for?!"

"I want to meet up with Infinite alone. I want some payback against this guy. You hold the fort down."

"Are you sure about this?" Raff was a little pessimistic, even if it was towards the guy who saved the world multiple times.

"Sure I'm sure."

"Do you want me to come with you?" offered Savage.

"Thanks, Savage, but not this time. It's too risky. We all know he's very powerful."

"That doesn't mean you're invincible against him. He _did_ defeat you. What makes you think that you're going to win this time?" Knuckles grumbled.

"I don't know, Knux. But I don't want to be the reason that someone else gets injured or even killed. Not after what happened back then."

"Sonic, please think about this thoroughly first," Amy implored.

"I made my decision. I'm going alone to help Silver and Blaze. **_(1)_** I promise that I'll be back." With that, the Blue Blur zoomed out of the headquarters.

"Ugh, this is not going to be good at all," Knuckles facepalmed.

* * *

 _Location: Mystic Jungle_

Deep in the Luminous Forest of Mystic Jungle, Silver and Blaze were dodging bombs being thrown by Eggman's militia and Infinite's attacks. The jackal led the Badniks to fire at the Resistance members. The two had to evacuate the soldiers to get them to safety. But Infinite took one step ahead to subjugate almost a quarter of the squad.

Being near a bomb's range, Silver slid back several feet, stopping himself with a hand and his feet. Breathing heavily, he looked over to where Blaze was. She utilized her pyrokinetic powers to burn the Badniks. Crabmeat and Buzz Bombers fell apart from overheating. Silver returned to action by consciously throwing rocks with his abilities. Although they kept the remaining warriors secure, they had a tougher battle against the masked creature.

"Do you seriously think you two can help those pathetic fools overcome me or the doctor?" Infinite rushed over to kick Silver into the temple wall. An indentation was made as he fell onto the dirt.

"Silver!" Blaze cried.

Infinite turned over to the cat and trapped her in a force field. He raised her into the sky.

"Let me go this instant!"

"Foolish feline. I am told to make your lives a living hell as per Eggman's orders. I shall not fail him again, not after I let that blue cretin escape the Death Egg."

"Let her go!" Silver growled as he got up.

He flew over to Infinite. However, the jackal's hearing and instincts proved to be effective as he waylaid Silver with a nasty punch. Silver didn't give up when he fell back. Letting Blaze go, Infinite flew across the field with Silver pursuing him. At one point, the two combatants rammed into each other. Something fell from Infinite's fur, but no one noticed it. Silver tried to catch up to the jackal. Unfortunately, Infinite immediately stopped and knocked him with a hard spin dash and a nasty whip from his tail. The hedgehog landed roughly in front of the temple door. Groaning in pain, he wondered if this was how Sonic felt when Infinite and the other bad guys crushed him in Red Gate City.

"Weak," Infinite muttered.

Blaze interjected with fire blasting from her palms. Infinite easily avoided the fiery projectiles and soared right at her. He pinned the cat against a rock wall, holding her by the arms as she struggled to free herself.

"Do you surrender?"

"Not in a million years!"

Infinite made a bold move by jamming his kneecap into her body. She hissed from the pain. Infinite loosened his grip before pulling her from the wall and spinning around in circles. As he accelerated in place, the jackal threw Blaze across the forest near Silver's landing spot. The hedgehog managed to see what happened, and he was terrified. She also fell onto the dirt as her bones ached.

"Blaze..."

"Silver..."

"Aw, isn't this lovely?" Infinite teased. Blaze and Silver struggled to get up when they faced him. "Technically, making you guys suffer wasn't part of my agenda. It was only directed at Sonic. But now that Eggman wants hell to run loose, I'll be delighted to crush another hero or two. It keeps the rabble in line, and it shows them that there is no hope for humanity."

"Does... anyone but you... believe your lies?" Silver shivered.

"More than you know. Seeing is believing. And what you're about to see is something you probably won't handle."

The thunderbolt decal on the right side of his mask lit up as the energy from the object on his chest generated power. Surrounding himself in a cloud of red glitches, he aimed directly at Blaze and Silver. A devastating shockwave thundered across the forest, getting a piece of the heroes. They flew in opposite directions before landing on their backs unconsciously.

"Hahahaha... HAHAHAHAHA! This is only the beginning phase of your punishment! Be sure to relish in the torture as your worst fears become a reality!"

* * *

Sonic was on the run when he reached the outer limits of Mystic Jungle. As he dashed forward and destroyed a dozen Egg Pawns, he received a message from home base.

"From our scouting report, Eggman's forces are shooting bombs all over the forest!" Knuckles grumbled.

"Like we need another case of deforestation here," Raff complained. "Does Eggman not care about the environment?"

"No offense, Raff, that's just a terrible question to ask," said Savage. "He doesn't give two shits unless that environment is his empire, which is basically 99% of the entire world."

"I knew you shouldn't have gone alone, Sonic!" Amy reprimanded.

"Amy, I told you I'm going to be fine. These fireworks are not the kinds I enjoy, but I'll handle this! Just try to find Silver and Blaze for me before it's too late!"

Raff was already on duty as he examined the computer. "We're detecting their signals based on the location of their communicators. It's not a perfect connection, but the map says that they're at one of the temples in the deepest part of Mystic Jungle."

"That's all I need to know!"

"In case I'm wrong though, I'll update you as soon as I can!"

Sonic continued his bustle through the casino-themed jungle, running under neon archways and running into Badniks with ease.

"I honestly wish Eggman wasn't inspired by casinos. He's greedy for both power and himself!"

Speeding up steep walkways and curving paths, Sonic flew over the gaps to avoid the lasers shot by the Egg Pawns. He reached an area where there were moving platforms over a huge chasm where a river rushed below.

"Ooh, boy. Gotta be careful here."

Platforming was probably Sonic's third-best ability behind running (obviously) and kicking robot butt. Still, he carefully waited out the rotations until he landed on safe ground. He ran up a large loop before going through another pathway with Badniks in the way. He almost got pinched by a Crabmeat, but he pushed through without a lot of damage. Sonic flew over to a half-pipe with construction barriers and more enemies.

"Sorry about that! Didn't mean to be a 'roadblock' to you all!"

After Sonic sped past that section, he flew over to the next part of the jungle as he approached another casino-themed temple.

"Sonic! The soldiers are retreating back to Red Gate as of right now! Silver and Blaze are still holding the enemy down!" Knuckles shouted.

"That's good to know! They did their best to fight back. And we need their lives to be protected."

"It seems that you're getting closer to Blaze and Silver," told Raff. "The ruins are up ahead, and that's likely where they're stuck."

"Excellent work, Raff! I'll get to them faster than you can say 'Big money!' And speaking of big money..." Sonic was grinding on some rails past a slot machine. He jumped up and pulled the lever. He somehow got a stroke of luck when three icons of his face lined up in the middle. Golden rings scattered right into him. "Whoo-hoo! Jackpot, baby!"

"This isn't the time to gamble, Sonic!" Knuckles reminded him.

"Oh, right."

He was about to enter the next part of the zone until Amy recognized something near Sonic's sensor.

"There's a different and unidentified life form on your radar! I think it's from the jungle!

Sonic looked up when something emerged over the trees. His eyes widened in surprise. "HOLY CHILI CHEESE DOGS!"

"What is it?" Savage asked.

"It's a giant snake!"

"What the hell?!"

Sonic later calmed down as the serpent tried to devour him entirely. As it was about to close its mouth, Sonic spin dashed on top of his head and ran down the body of the snake.

"Whew! That was too close! Definitely not the day to become snake food!"

"You sure you're alright?" Amy sounded worried.

"Yep! Made it without a scratch! I guess the bombs must've riled it up. You know how annoying those explosions can be. I don't think I can escape this dude without a fight. Yikes!"

The snake actually got him stuck in its throat, but he was extremely lucky it didn't chew him up or else.

"You're _so_ gonna regret that! Hedgehogs like yours truly don't make good snacks!"

By then, he spin dashed the inside of the snake multiple times until its esophagus was punctured by his quills. The snake lost consciousness and fell to the ground. It opened its mouth to forcibly eject him out.

"Ugh! Gross! I don't want to be smelling like snake spit!"

"Never mind that! Silver and Blaze are directly near you!" Raff messaged.

Sonic looked ahead in front of him. He saw his friends lying on the ground. He was terrified that they were hurt and angry at the one who caused this.

"This is only the beginning phase of your punishment! Be sure to relish in the torture as your worst fears become a reality!"

"Not when I'm here, you're not. _I'm not making the same mistake as before._ "

The Blue Blur rushed over when Infinite was about to target Silver first. He pushed the jackal out of the way and tackled him to the ground.

"You're not laying a finger on either him or Blaze! Now get what you deserve, asshole!"

Sonic dealt multiple jabs and punches at Infinite, letting out his anger on him. It was a full-on devastation as he had no regrets for taking down the guy who was the key to his first defeat. When he was finished, Infinite laid in silence. Assuming he was done with his revenge, Sonic went up to the fallen hedgehog.

"Silver?! Silver!"

The poor hedgehog didn't respond. Sonic ran over to where Blaze went and brought her to next to Silver. He carefully laid them against the wall.

"Silver? Blaze?"

He saw the bruises on Silver's skin and the crinkles on Blaze's clothes. That was more than enough to know that Infinite wounded them which caused them to be comatose.

"Don't worry, guys. I'll get you back to the HQ so we can heal you up."

"If you thought you could finish me with just a bunch of useless hits, then you must be out of my league."

Sonic shifted over where he saw the looming creature.

"It's only been a couple days since I last saw you," Infinite placed a hand over his mask.

Sonic clenched his teeth. "What did you do to my friends?!"

"Oh, nothing much. It's just a little spell I cast upon them. Something that you know very well."

He took a few seconds to realize what he meant. "You mean, you put them in Virtual Reality?"

"Only in their subconscious will they realize that it is only an illusion. Regardless, the little episodes they'll experience will forever be scarred in their minds until they perish."

"How dare you?"

"Oh, what's that I smell? Is that you reeking of fear?"

As a small joke, Sonic raised his right arm and sniffed his armpit. "Hmph, that's not fear. I ran all the way over here."

"Tell me, Sonic the Hedgehog. Are you still afraid of me since I gave you my little present?"

"That wasn't even a present at all! If anything, that was as bad as Knuckles giving me an uppercut to my lip on purpose!"

"Don't deny your feelings. I can sense how tense you are going back to our last encounter."

"I don't have anything to deny or hide. Just let me get the show started where I'll whoop you into oblivion!"

Sonic ran forward at Infinite and leaped in the air to deliver a spin attack. What he didn't see coming his way was another entity flying right at him.

"OW!" he skidded. "What the heck was that?!"

A cloud of red smoke appeared in between the two animals. Then, something appeared from within.

When the smoke dispersed, Sonic's emerald eyes were in another state of confusion. He couldn't believe what he saw in front of him.

"W-WHAT?!"

There, the figure stood up to face Sonic, eyeing at him with a blank, yet unnerving, stare.

Sonic saw robotic gear covering one of his eyes while the other looked like the life was sucked out of his soul. A small chest blade was attached around his right half, covering part of his torso and back. His right hand was concealed inside a blaster, ready at any time to annihilate what stood in front of the figure. The main giveaway was the thing waving behind him. Or rather, _things_.

It was giving him flashbacks to a similar moment on the Lost Hex.

"T-T-Tails?"

Indeed. The two-tailed fox was right there. Right there in front of Sonic.

Except he was _roboticized_.

"No... No, no, no..."

Sonic wasn't sure if he should be relieved that Tails was actually alive or frightened that he remained alive for so long that he was now part of the dark side.

"NO!"

It ended up being the latter.

Sonic angrily faced the masked villain. "WHY?! WHY DID YOU DO THIS?!"

Infinite merely chuckled to himself. "My goal is to make sure that you return to your rightful place in the Death Egg. That way, Dr. Eggman can officially end your life for good. But since I have a feeling that you've retained your fighting habits, despite your long imprisonment, I thought it would be a bitter loss for you if you faced your Achilles' heel."

The blue hero could only stare furiously at the dark, floating character.

"I know your little vow between your so-called _brother_. You would never lay a finger on him under the purpose that you would physically abuse him. You made that promise long ago when you saved this freak from some annoying bullies."

Sonic cringed at the 'f' word, and don't pretend like I'm referring to the other one.

"But now, he's ready to hurt you. Let's face it, Sonic, this was long overdue. I'm more than confident that I don't need to participate in this fight. So, with that, I hope you enjoy your subsequent end, nuisance. When you're finished, I'll gladly bring you to the Death Egg once more."

Infinite teleported away from Sonic, leaving just him and the kitsune alone. The sound of a clank made the hero go from angry to fearful, something he denied to Infinite earlier.

"Tails, wait!" he extended his hand out. "I'm not going to hurt you!"

The fox didn't listen as he spun his namesakes and sustained a punch to Sonic's cheek. Tails kicked him high in the air before he soared up to him. Landing more hits on him, the hedgehog was groaning in agony.

It felt like his unfortunate experience in Red Gate. But unlike his first defeat, he wasn't being harmed by Infinite or his other enemies.

He was being harmed by the one he called his brother.

Tails grabbed a helpless Sonic by the shins. The hedgehog screamed as the fox spun him in circles before tossing him to the ground. Sonic landed head first until he was lying flat on his stomach. He placed his hands on his head.

 _"This... this can't be happening again! Is this Virtual Reality or **actual** Reality? Is Tails really alive or dead, and then brought back to life? If he **is** alive, was this all my fault for letting this occur? AAH! I can't think straight anymore!"_

Sonic rotated around as he saw Tails land back on the ground. He tried to plead to his friend.

"Tails! Listen to me! This isn't you! You're not supposed to be evil! You're not supposed to serve Eggman or anyone else who's bad! You're my best friend!"

The right eye narrowed. His facial expression made Sonic more uncomfortable.

"You idiotic hedgehog..."

Check that. It was his monotone voice that perturbed him more.

"You were supposed to save me."

Sonic blinked. "I-I know that, Tails. But-"

"You let your ego get the best of you, which allowed Eggman and his army to easily beat you and conquer the world."

"I understand that, Tails! I take full responsibility for all that! But listen!"

"Your friends counted on you. Your family counted on you. You were the one whom everyone has depended on for years. Now, all of that was for naught. You let everyone down. You let _me_ down."

"T-Tails!" Sonic felt something wet in his eyes.

"You did _this_ to me."

"I-I'm sorry!"

"And you will pay for your mistakes."

Like every other problem, Sonic ran away from the source of trouble. He was stuck between not fighting his friend and potentially getting kidnapped again, or breaking his longtime oath with the only guy he truly trusts. He took a glance behind him with Tails slowly catching up to him. His speed had matched up to Sonic's, inching closer and closer to the fastest thing alive. That was one thing that the Blue Blur respected about the fox. After giving it some thought, he was going to do something he will never forget.

Physically hurt Tails.

Sonic stopped in his tracks. Lunging at the fox, they wrestled around on the dirt. Sonic needed to tire him out as much he can to overwhelm his adversary. He delivered a tactful kick, the front of his shoe getting the tailbone of his right appendage. The sound it made when he made contact made him cringe internally. Even the loud shriek from the fox made his heart break a little.

Tails pushed Sonic off of him. He got his blaster ready as he fired a laser beam at Sonic. He narrowly dodged the first one followed by another one as he jumped over the streak.

"You will not win this battle nor the entire war. Yield before you actually suffer the consequences!"

"I can't do that, Tails. I'm not going to lose you again."

It took every reflex for Sonic to see the pattern that Tails had in his attacks. Generally, he fired a couple of shots from his gun. Then, he flew over to deal damage with his hands, feet, or tails. For the most part, Sonic avoided most of his attacks, but he knew he couldn't keep this up. Not until he stops Tails.

 _"Buddy, this will continue to be painful, for you and for me. I'm doing this for your own good though."_

Attempting to suppress his negative feelings, he got back to work by spin dashing the roboticized kit. Nevertheless, every moment where he had to make Tails suffer ate him up on the inside. From crushing the headgear, to hitting the chest blade, to injuring his precious tails that made him so unique than any other animal. He heard Tails howl with discomfort as he prolonged his attacks.

"This isn't the end yet!"

Tails aimed his blaster at his stomach, but Sonic dodged with a spin dash off to the side. He swiped his tails, yet Sonic was able to duck from the bushy weapons. The hedgehog leaned back from another round of flying fists as he grabbed ahold of the fox's wrists and restrained them behind his back. Sonic pushed him down onto the dirt surface with his foot resting on Tails' back.

"You give up yet?" Sonic hoped he could end this right here, right now.

Tails made his expectations disappear quickly. "Never!"

The fox lifted his head and smacked it against Sonic's. The collision slightly bent the hedgehog's nose, and he released the fox. Tails revolved to send a dirty punch to Sonic's core. Shaking off the pain, he spun in circles to confuse him. Leaping in the air, he brought his legs and arms inward to spin dash into the vulpine. Multiple hits were dealt to the arms, legs, and torso. The next blow was right at his forehead, sending the fox to a tree where he hit the trunk sharply. Sonic landed on the ground as he glimpsed at the fallen fox. The pit of his stomach was burning inside.

"Chaos... I really can't believe I did all that." **_(2)_**

Sonic was about to check up on his friend until a blast of red energy startled him.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you?!"

Infinite resurfaced in midair before he sent two more orbs of red at his path. Sonic barely evaded both of them.

"I knew it. You have retained your fighting nature. You've gotten better, I must admit. But no matter what, you will still lose this war."

"I'm not going to surrender or give myself in. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm taking my friend back!"

Infinite denied his statement as he flew down to seize the unconscious fox over his shoulder.

"Hey! Let him go!"

"I don't think so, pest. He will return to _our_ base. I could care less about the others I've gotten earlier. All that matters is you. And making sure your wants are left undesired is the only thing I'll take if you're still alive. That includes negating a reunion with this weakling."

Infinite release another red orb that directly hit Sonic. He sailed to a different tree before landing on the dirt. He lifted his head, getting one last glance at Infinite before the jackal went away with the fox.

"D-Don't! Get back here! Ugh!" he struggled to get up. "Tails!"

There was nothing else he could do but watch them leave. He was _that_ close to saving him. All of that work was for nothing. Just like his two nightmares in Virtual Reality, just when he thought Tails was alive, something bad happens. He was absolutely devastated.

Sonic slowly got up on his knees and shook his head. Wiping the debris off his body, he sighed heavily.

"Tails... I'm going to get you back. Once I figure out the secret to Infinite's power, I'll destroy him and avenge you."

He limped over to Silver and Blaze who still remained unconscious. He felt guilty that he was too late to stop Infinite before he got his hands on them. With no other choice, he contacted the Resistance HQ to get some transportation support.

If there was only one positive out of this, Sonic knew that the fox was not dead.

Or... so he thought.

High above the trees of Mystic Jungle, Infinite flew far away until he was alone in private. Laying the fox down onto the ground, he waited several seconds until the inevitable.

The roboticized Tails had red cubes spilling from his body. Red glitches appeared all over as well. His body later turned into black before fading away.

Sonic was only focused on saving Tails that he never noticed that the fox _was a clone_.

"That was too close for comfort. I'm not letting him know about this just yet." He stared at the full moon in the starry sky. He solemnly shook his head. "Eggman's going to kill me."

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Right off the bat, I should apologize if I got anyone's hopes up high. Tails was just a clone that Infinite created. Hear me out. Considering if he's able to duplicate Shadow in the game, why not make replicas of other characters who are aligned with the protagonists' side? More on this is explained in the 2nd PCN. But yeah, I just wanted to get that out of the way if I confused anyone._

 _This was nothing but another terrible experience for Sonic as he fought against (a fake) Tails. But he's not the only affected in this chapter. Silver and Blaze got caught up in the middle of Infinite's attacks. We'll get a chance to see what they suffered from Virtual Reality. Also, the Chaotix, Rouge, and Omega will get some screen time so we can see what they're up to._

 _With that, another chapter of Revengeful Resistance is complete. Please review down below, follow and favorite for more updates, and I'll see you next time on Ch. 18! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I only made Sonic go to help Blaze and Silver because I will have roles for the other characters later on in the story._

 ** _(2):_** _The video that motivated me is titled 'Sonic Forces Cutscene: Tails Boss Fight' by Mike Darklighter on YouTube. It featured Classic Sonic getting into a surprise battle with a Modern Tails clone created by Infinite. Personally, I wanted Sonic to face Tails as a boss back in Lost World and maybe Forces if the plot was restructured, but it ended up being missed opportunities. And because I excluded Classic Sonic from my story, Modern Sonic gets stuck in this predicament instead, which replaces the first actual Infinite fight in Mystic Ruins. Additionally, the Tails clone has the same appearance as the one in Lost World when he faked being roboticized. I also got some inspiration from a story called 'Within this Nightmare' by sonicfan1990._


	18. Ch 18: Chaos Controlled

_A/N:_ _Yep, this story has finally returned. And if all goes accordingly, the big secret that I hinted will be revealed in a couple of chapters. In the meantime, the poll on my profile is still active, so you can cast your vote on what you think the secret is about. If you haven't guessed already, I encourage you to vote and see if you're right!_

 _Since I uploaded the last chapter, Revengeful Resistance is now over **150 reviews** and **8,000 hits** on FFN. Alongside **30 favorites** and **followers** , I appreciate all the support._

 _Lastly, there is some major plot reconstruction when compared to the original game. I switched up the order of the levels that will appear for the next several chapters. In this case, Park Avenue, which took place after Green Hill with Classic Sonic and Tails, will be found in this chapter. And because of the fox's absence, I won't be including Casino Forest. But Aqua Road will be featured later on. Again, please bear with me on the changes I've made. Either way, I hope you all enjoy this one._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I don't own anything related to Sonic. This is the part where you're not surprised whatsoever._

* * *

 **Chapter 18:** Chaos Controlled

 _Location: Casino Night Zone_

Beforehand, the members of Team Dark explored the Chemical Plant Zone to continue their search for Shadow. Unfortunately for them, he was nowhere in sight. They had to clear out more of Eggman's Badniks and Egg Pawns that infiltrated the factory. Since Savage and the Chaotix cleared the Spaceport, the evil doctor ordered more of his underlings to reclaim the zone. Thankfully for Rouge and Omega, they got rid of them with ease. But it was a cakewalk as they were inferior and not powerful in the slightest compared to the Death Egg Robots in Red Gate City.

After leaving Chemical Plant, they received rumors from some of the soldiers that the ebony hedgehog was spotted in Casino Night Zone. At least for them, they didn't have to travel far since it was still on West Side Island. Tons of golden rings, flashing lights, and jewels shined across the zone. But still, Shadow was nowhere to be found.

Although Rouge tended to be engrossed by anything that glitters in her eyes, she had to set aside all that. Since day one of Shadow's disappearance, she vowed to find him, even if she had to search the depths of Mobius. She never gave up, but that didn't mean she never lost hope. Her confidence was slightly dwindling every time she felt like she had a lead to find him, only to go back to square one. And it didn't help when she learned that he apparently joined Eggman's army.

Since Omega was disabled over the course of Eggman's domination, he had certain difficulties understanding the backstory behind all this. He also couldn't remember much. His memory banks didn't save anything prior to his shutdown sequence. Rouge had to explain in full detail of what she recalled. Although he didn't express any emotions, he instantly got on board to help his ally find Shadow.

For both of them, too many questions that remained unanswered kept roaming in their thoughts. What _exactly_ happened to Shadow? Did he get brainwashed like Rouge suspected? How badly did Infinite and Eggman influence him to join the antagonistic side? Why did he kill Tails? And why had he apparently gone missing for so long after that? If only they garnered up evidence or clues, yet they were unlucky to discover anything new.

By the time they were about to leave the Casino Night Zone, Omega got Rouge's attention.

"Rouge! I have a breakthrough in my findings!" he reported.

"Really? What is it?"

"Location of Shadow identified!"

Rouge felt her heart skip a beat. "You know where he is?!"

"Affirmative! Black hedgehog on the run! Emerald Hill Zone! Towards the soldiers' campground! Down south near a pair of waterfalls!"

"Emerald Hill? He must have been ordered to wipe out the lower ranks of our members. Eggman's army always targets them because they think they're inadequate for the Resistance. We can't afford to lose more lives! Come on, Omega!"

The large robot nodded as he flew behind the bat. "We shall get our leader back! That is our primary goal! Right in front of destroying Dr. Eggman and his elite militia!"

* * *

 _Location: Metropolis_

This city was known to be the capital city of the Eggman Empire, even before the doctor took over the entire planet. It was also one of the most populous places in Mobius. But when taken into account, most of the entire population were Eggman's robots. The only ones who weren't a part of Eggman's army were the soldiers of the Revengeful Resistance. Hundreds of animals have invaded the fortified city for the last six months, and many were either captured or killed. Many had risked their lives to incapacitate the mechanical foes and shut down the base of the operations. To the Resistance's disadvantage and frustration, they still haven't completed their goal. Even with the Chaotix helping the poor soldiers, they were losing another battle.

The crocodile rushed near around one of the buildings, hiding in the shadows. He pressed some buttons on his watch. "Vector to Home Base! Come in, Commander! Report back now! Anyone, just answer me, damn it!" Vector growled.

In the background, the screams and cries of the fighters rang in the Chaotix's ears as they ran away from the explosions and lasers. While several have managed to flee the city, others were trapped or captured, leading them to suffer the same fate as the previous soldiers.

After what seemed like an eternity, Vector finally received a call. "I heard you, Vector! This is Knuckles, reporting! Give us an update!"

"Oh, I'll give you an update! We still can't take over Metropolis! Eggman's weaponry is far too powerful in this location! None of our troops can stop the robots, we can't disable the arsenals, and we've lost more members!" Another explosion boomed nearby, causing the city to shake. Vector slammed his hands over his ears to block out the dreadful sound.

"What about Espio and Charmy? Are they with you?"

"They're in close range, but not exactly near me."

"What does that even mean?"

Vector looked around the corner. He saw Espio knocking down some weak Badniks, but the artillery from the towering buildings limited his movements and actions to reach the control plant and shut down the power. Charmy flew above him, doing his best to evade the lasers being shot from the towers. One nearly deflected off his helmet while another nearly zapped his stinger. There wasn't a safe route for him to fly all the way up.

"Espio's occupied with some Crabmeat. Charmy's trying to reach the top of the towers in case there's a control unit there. But he's not having any luck."

"What exactly are you up to, Vector?"

"Well, I was defeating some of the Egg Pawns, but I got distracted by the bombs going off in the heart of the city. I don't think we can take care of this battlefield on our own, even with the squad who settled here."

"If you aren't making progress, then forget about Metropolis for now. Meet up with Espio and Charmy, and help the others evacuate the city immediately. Considering it's still too dangerous, I'll allow you to abandon the mission."

"To be honest, I was thinking the same thing. And if I wasn't, I'll just do whatever you say. You are the Commander, Knuckles!"

Vector needed to get in close range with his allies for them to hear him. Shouting from afar was not the best option. He ducked and jumped over the energy beams that were shot towards him. When a couple of Badniks spawned from his right, he leaped up and crushed them with his feet. Slithering his way past the wreckage, he reached the chameleon and bee.

"Espio! Charmy!" Vector pulled them away to safety.

"What, Vector?! If you haven't noticed, we're both busy! And why the hell did you run off earlier?!" Espio hissed.

"Forget about that last question! Knuckles told us to retreat back to the HQ! That goes for all three of us and everyone who's still here! There's no way we can survive this place without more forces to counteract all of Eggman's weapon bases!"

"Even if we had more forces, we still won't stand a chance!" Charmy shook his head.

"Maybe with a well-devised plan, we can regroup and take over the city! But for now, let's focus on getting these soldiers back home!"

"Alright then. Let's retreat," Espio led the others to reassemble the animals. Despite the frustration the Chaotix had experienced, they decided to be safe than sorry.

* * *

 _Location: Emerald Hill Zone_

Like every other place on Mobius, Emerald Hill was infested with Eggman's lower line of robots. While they opted to clear the zone full of bad guys, they still have their main objective at hand: trace down Shadow and confront him.

"Omega, you told me that Shadow was found in the southern area near twin waterfalls, right?"

"That is precise. Subject has not let the area since. Now is the chance to stop him."

"He better not leave. I have so many things to say to that dirty traitor," Rouge clenched a fist, extending her arm forward at a red Moto Bug. She did the same thing to a few more, alongside a large gathering of Buzz Bombers, Snail Blasters, and Crabmeat. If it wasn't obvious, she was angry. No, take that back. She was _furious_ at her best friend. "Urgh! I'm going to make sure he endures the same kind of pain Blue went through! And if he's still alive after all that, I'm going to kill him!"

Omega declined to make a comment after her outburst. He knew the female bat was not really a belligerent person, but she can quarrel due to her stubbornness. In the past, there had been plenty of instances between her and Knuckles fighting amongst each other. Most of the arguments were about the Master Emerald or the Chaos Emeralds. For Omega, it was hard to imagine that Rouge was going to be ruthless by the time she sees the ebony hedgehog. It didn't mean he thought the chance of that happening was impossible.

The two went down the winding path and took care of the Badniks that got in their way. Since it was dark outside, Omega provided flashlights from his circuits to give them a clear view of what was ahead. They got rid of the enemies one by one so easily that it didn't feel like a chore. Flying over the spike beds was also a breeze. But they were still far away from their projected destination. Both were unsure if they were too late to save the soldiers.

The 'what if' thought went away from Rouge's mind when she heard her communicator beeping. The call was coming from the Resistance Headquarters.

"Rouge!" she heard Knuckles over the speaker. "We haven't heard back from you or Omega yet. Have you found Shadow yet?"

"If we had found Shadow, I would've contacted you immediately, Knucklehead," she replied with annoyance.

The echidna was not happy with her tone. "Alright, Rouge. What's with the attitude?"

"What's with that stupid voice of yours?"

"Rouge! I just asked you a simple question! Are you really going to start an argument right now?!"

"Knuckles, in case you still aren't aware, I am legitimately concerned that Shadow has gone off the deep end. And if he kills more people, all the more reason I'm going to be pissed at him. As soon as I see that damn hedgehog-"

"Rouge, please do me a favor and calm down. Take a deep breath, for Chaos' sake. I'm starting to worry about _you_."

Trying not to start a verbal fight with her longtime 'frenemy', she paused from flying and stood on top of one of the green hills. She obeyed his command, trying to alleviate the stress she built up inside. Omega also stopped so he wouldn't be far ahead of her in case they get separated like the last time.

"Do you feel better now?"

"A little bit. I'm just worried, Knux."

"So am I, Rouge. Believe me, we all are. Just recently, Sonic contacted and told us that he's stuck in Mystic Jungle with Silver and Blaze. Both got knocked out by Infinite."

A sharp pang burst in her heart. "At least tell me that Blue's alright."

"We're too lucky. Sonic didn't get beaten up and captured this time. But he mentioned that he got hurt in the fight. Savage, Raff, and Amy are on their way to pick them up. Speaking of her, she was already worried the second Sonic left the base by himself to confront that jackal. She's probably full of regret for not being aggressive now that he's in trouble again."

"You'd think she would know by now that Sonic would always try to take care of things in an instant. Even if it wasn't the smartest idea on the planet, he can't himself."

"But he's gotta change his behavior if we want to even have a chance to overcome this war."

"Rouge! Shadow is nearby! Just a few miles from here!" Omega boomed in the middle of their conversation.

"Listen, Knuckles, I got to get going."

"That's fine. Just make sure you and Omega are careful out there, okay?"

"You can count on it," she replied before she reunited with the robot.

"We are approaching the destined spot. Shadow in close proximity to our current location!"

Rouge inhaled deeply through her nose as she anticipated a cold reception from her headstrong partner. All that mattered was getting him back and understanding why he switched to Eggman's side.

Moments passed as a light breeze flew across the entire valley. There weren't any Badniks in their way as they got rid of the ones from earlier. Rouge and Omega spent a minute at the edge of a cliff, trying to find the twin waterfalls that Omega referred to.

"I see them! And there's the soldiers' base!"

By the time Team Dark reached the campground, they saw the devastation up close. Tents, canopies, and sleeping bags were ripped up. Tons of holes and dirt ruined the equipment. Fallen trees have also crushed some of their set-up and equipment. What made it eerie was the fact that they couldn't find anyone nearby, not a single animal in sight.

"Omega, do you detect Shadow?"

"I can confirm that his presence is here. However, he seems to be hiding from us."

"Figures. Did he really do all this?" she looked around to see the entire wreckage. What she failed to notice was a pair of red eyes glaring at her.

"My suspicions are as good as yours. Nonetheless, it is likely probable he took down the soldiers' resting site."

"How come none of the soldiers are here though? Did they retreat? Or did they vanish? If it was the latter, the only logical explanation is that..." Rouge wasn't comfortable to say it.

"He annihilated everyone?" Omega finished for her.

"Yeah, _that_ ," she muttered. "Sometimes, I don't understand him. He was this so-called 'Ultimate Lifeform' that came from an experiment, he had a confusing, yet tragic, history involving a girl, his grandfather, and G.U.N., he was then stuck wondering what his purpose in life was, and all of a sudden, after years of fighting for the good, he goes back to be a primary villain. I don't get it. Did I do something to negatively influence him? Or was it because I was too late to let him fall into Infinite's hands?"

Rouge pondered to herself as Omega didn't have any words to say. However, the latter barely heard a small rustle over the sounds of the rushing waterfalls. He rotated his head before he realized what happened next. As a figure rushed over towards Rouge, Omega sent a blast at his direction, catching Rouge's attention. He nearly got hit had he not jumped in the air and performed a backflip. As the stalker landed, Rouge quickly flew over to pin him on the ground. The light of the moon cast over her shoulders as she managed to see the person's face. Once she did, she became frozen.

"Shadow?!"

The black hedgehog grunted with narrowed eyes as he forcefully pushed her off his body. Rouge got into a fighting position before she flew at him. As the two got into physical combat, Omega recharged more lasers. Firing one at a time, he made sure he didn't hit Rouge on accident. As for the bat, she relied on her agility and martial art skills. She struck Shadow with her use of kickboxing, alternating punches and kicks at her opponent.

Unfortunately, Shadow also had the same fighting expertise, only his skill set was somehow better and more improved than before. He sped over to land a dirty punch on her right arm, causing her to shriek in pain. Despite the injury, she tried to defend herself. But Shadow continued his onslaught while simultaneously avoiding Omega's lasers. After leaving her with bruised arms, he spin dashed right into the bat, sending her flying twenty feet into a tree.

Omega rearmed his cannons and sprayed more homing lasers at the Black Blur. To the robot's displeasure, Shadow read his shots and easily evaded every single one. The lasers managed to destroy some of the rock formations and other trees surrounding the waterfalls. Omega utilized his flight to charge at him. He intentionally tried to knock him out with a spin dash of his own. Omega failed as Shadow contradicted his action with a quick sidestep to his left before he pummeled the robot with several punches and kicks.

It wasn't anything new for the robot to start destroying things. Whatever posed as a threat only gave Omega motivation to one-up the competition or to show off his powers. Even if it meant battling against his teammate, he did not plan to back down easily without a major fight. In the mech's state of mind, losing to a weaker robot of Eggman's was embarrassing enough. Losing to someone he personally knew presaged a loss of self-confidence and pride. What made things more frustrating for Omega was that he wasn't getting any luck in his brawl against the dark hedgehog. No matter how many times he flew right at him, shot lasers, or activated his other weapons, Shadow was able to outmaneuver every single move he had. Omega was running low on energy, leaving an open window of opportunity for Shadow to shut him down. As he prepared another spin dash, Shadow was prevented by a white blur. He was shoved onto the side of a boulder.

"Get off of me!" Shadow spoke for the first time. "I don't have time to deal with weaklings like you!"

"Why are you doing this, Shadow?!" Rouge shouted, her hands shaking as she held Shadow's wrists down. "Why are you being a nuisance for no reason?! This isn't what any of us wanted! We all thought you could be trustworthy!"

The hedgehog scoffed. "Me? Trustworthy? Heh, you clearly don't see what's underneath all this skin. On the outside, I'll be willing to help, even if I don't show it. Yet on the inside, I'm nothing but a sadistic beast. A demon of some sorts, hungry for power and getting the revenge I deserve."

Rouge was so infuriated that she lost control of her emotions and slapped Shadow across the face really hard. Again, she failed to notice something else, but her rage overshadowed (no pun intended) everything. "Revenge? _Revenge?!_ The only ones who deserved to get revenge are everyone in the Resistance! You stabbed Tails to death! You caused Sonic to be tortured for six months! You helped Eggman take over 99% of Mobius! All of us lived in pain and misery, wondering what the hell happened to you and Blue. And you're telling me that you took part in all this crap just because you wanted revenge?! Revenge for what?!"

"It's personal to me."

"Don't play that game towards me."

"What game?" Shadow pretended to be oblivious.

"You're completely ridiculous!" Rouge growled through her teeth.

"You know what's more ridiculous? You two thinking that you can stop me. CHAOS CONTROL!"

Out of thin air, Shadow disappeared off the ground, causing Rouge to fall on her hands and knees. Before she could even react, the bat felt a strong kick on her right wing. Groaning from the hit, she soared upwards and later received more jabs and punches on her body. The final blow was a major punch in the back of her head. She fell flat on her torso as she struggled to get up. Shadow was getting close to her up until Omega had enough. Wanting this to end, he went all in with another Lock-On Shot. Since Shadow wasn't looking, two of them afflicted his right arm and chest. The hedgehog hissed from the burning sensation. Suddenly, he fell forward on the grass. His body remained motionless.

Rouge saw everything and turned to Omega. Struggling to get up, she limped over and started screaming at him. "What was that about, Omega?! We're supposed to get back Shadow back, not kill him!"

"I do not comprehend this nonsense you speak. I only stunned him with my lasers," he defended.

"If that's the case, then why isn't he moving?!"

In the middle of their argument, they were unaware of Shadow's body deteriorating with red glitches and cubes. His body started to fade away in black.

"I am 100% confident that he is still alive."

"Well, I'm 100% certain that you screwed up on another mission! And let me tell you this-" Rouge was then cut off by a loud, echoing noise. Omega also heard it rang throughout the zone. "What just happened?"

"That, I am irresolute."

Rouge looked over to where Shadow was. Except he was completely gone.

"What the- Where'd he go?!" Rouge panicked. "Why did he run away?! _How_ did he escape?! Oh, come off with this!" she stomped her foot. "This wouldn't have happened if you weren't so aggressive. Do you always have to put destruction first on your to-do list?"

"It is my objective to terminate any threat in sight. That includes Shadow, who is working for Dr. Eggman, the main menace of this war."

"And you still shot him. Now, he's gone, no thanks to you."

Omega remained silent before a couple beeps played. "I shall take responsibility for his disappearance. Nevertheless, my intuition tells me that something must have transpired earlier."

"Ugh, this is just great. My wing is dented, and I can't fly properly. Omega, you have to take us back to HQ. This is your punishment for letting Shadow get away."

Omega did not argue with her and held a claw down for her to get on. He carried her on his shoulder. With Rouge holding on tight, they headed back to home base. On the way there, Rouge contacted the Commander about their return and their recent fight with Shadow.

* * *

 _Location: Red Gate City_

The Chaotix managed to return to the city, but they received an alert from the Revengeful Resistance's headquarters.

"Chaotix! Do you read me?" Knuckles called them.

"We hear you loud and clear!" responded Charmy.

"What is it, chief?" asked Vector.

"Some of the soldiers in Red Gate have reported that another branch of Eggman's army has broken through into the city! They're in the town area of Park Avenue! We need to get those guys out of there safely!"

"Do you have anyone you can send for extra backup?" Espio questioned.

"Unfortunately, no. Amy, Raff, and Savage left to pick up Sonic, Silver, and Blaze in the Mystic Jungle. They got waylaid by Infinite. And just recently, Rouge and Omega actually found Shadow in Emerald Hill, but he managed to escape and left them injured. And I have to stay here in case Eggman's bad guys try to infiltrate our hideout and attack us. I'm afraid you three and the others who escaped Metropolis are on your own. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, Knuckles. We understand how dire this is. I just hope everyone is alright."

"If it means that our friends are still alive, that's the main positive out of it. And it is. But yeah, I don't have any reinforcements for you."

Just then, a brown dog soldier got into the call, updating the current event. "Commander! This is Cole from the 8th Unit! We're pinned down under heavy enemy fire!"

"Don't worry, Cole. We have people on their way. Chaotix! It's all up to you! Help the civilians return to the HQ as soon as possible!"

"You got it!" all three shouted with determination.

While Vector, Espio, and Charmy rushed into the city, Amy called from her communicator. "Knuckles, we picked up Sonic, Blaze, and Silver. We're heading back home to you."

"Good. I'm grateful that all of them are still alive."

"So am I. But in other news, what's going on with the others?"

"I've gotten word from Rouge that she and Omega found Shadow in Emerald Hill."

"Really?!"

"Yeah, but don't celebrate too early or at all. He somehow escaped after Omega shot him. Plus, Rouge was wounded pretty badly."

"I hope they both recover soon. What about the Chaotix?"

"Because Metropolis was an absolute disaster, I told them to retreat with the unit that settled there. They're now in Red Gate, but they're on another mission to get the people in Park Avenue back home. And suffice it to say, we lost more members of our crew."

"You're gonna have to give me a status update on that, Knux."

"As for those who couldn't escape Metropolis, I don't have the numbers on me. I can only assume it's as bad as previous instances. The Chaotix is our only hope to push these soldiers away from danger while taking out Eggman's forces."

"Alright then. We're already out of Mystic Jungle now. I'll see you soon."

"Take care, Amy."

Back with the Chaotix, they all ran to take down a good chunk of the enemies in the city. Going down a road and past some construction barricades, they flew up from a dash panel and over a large gap of the city. To their left, a Death Egg Robot was pummeling the buildings nearby. Tons of lasers were shot at the large structure, but they proved to be ineffective.

"Geez! Those big robots are scary when you get up close to them!" whimpered Charmy.

"We've seen those before. Eggman mass-produced them to easily take over the city," said Espio.

"I mean, we can try to fight those Death Egg Robots, but that's not our top priority. We still need to find the 8th unit and evacuate!" hollered Vector.

Jumping from building to building, the Chaotix searched thoroughly to find the soldiers. They went up a large loop and several platforms near a broken plaza. Charmy used his stinger, Espio had his speed and strength, and Vector whipped his tail to abolish several lines of Egg Pawns. After clearing the path, they stopped at the edge of a building. Charmy took care of flying over the gap with Vector and Espio holding onto one another. By the time they landed, they continued down the lower regions of Red Gate, grinding on rails to the underground and pushing through several Buzz Bombers. More Egg Pawns were scattered on platforms, awaiting any strangers that they could fire. The Chaotix, however, was quick enough to eradicate every single foe.

When they returned to the city, the bee noticed a group of soldiers from afar. "There they are! They're surrounded by the Badniks!"

"Let's clear them out of here and give them an escape route!" yelled Espio.

Some of the animals struggled to keep up the pace with their guns and weapons to clear the large army. They managed to take out several enemies, but they were halted by others. Thankfully, the Chaotix flashed over in time and walloped a majority of the Badniks. The 8th Unit's soldiers did their part with their artillery and obliterated the rest of the weak links.

"Excellent work, guys!" Vector referred to his comrades and the other members.

Cole the brown dog, who spoke to Knuckles earlier, walked up to them. "Thanks for bailing us out. We were in serious trouble."

"Glad we could save the day!" Charmy smiled.

"We couldn't have done it without you guys!" a pink rabbit gave her appreciation.

"It's a relief that you guys are alright," Espio nodded.

"That may be the case for us." Cole then wiped away his grin. "Unfortunately, we lost more members of our pack. I wished we could've done better, myself included."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Vector reassured. "You did what you could, and that's fine enough. Now, let's get out of here before we all suddenly lose our heads, okay?" The soldiers all agreed to his statement. With the Chaotix leading the way, everyone ran back to the Resistance HQ. **_(1)_**

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _After all that chaos and devastation, everyone will return together at the HQ. We still haven't checked up on Silver and Blaze since they were still unconscious from Infinite's attack. And after injuries piled up on Omega, Rouge, and Sonic, the Revengeful Resistance might have to play it safe before they can resume activity. But anyway, I'm glad I got another chapter of this story done._

 _Stay tuned to see what will happen to Silver and Blaze. And vote on my profile to try and guess the secret. Don't forget to review down below, follow/favorite for more uploads, and I'll see you next time on Ch. 19! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Here's that major plot reconstruction that I was talking about. Rather than have the rookie (in this case, Savage, or even Raff) take part in this section, I let the Chaotix have some more action. The roles of the other characters and dialogue were also changed (obviously). Please note that I chose to have this stage take place before the 'Vs. Eggman' level._


	19. Ch 19: High Ambitions

_A/N:_ _ Revengeful Resistance is at **9,000+ views** and counting! I can't thank everyone enough despite my frequent breaks. I want to thank Infinite's Ruby, Dayman, Oderus, and Guest for your feedback and criticism since the last time I updated. All you guys still have time to vote for the question on my profile, but it will be taken down after a few more chapters._

 _With that being said, let's continue the adventure!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog, the games, or the characters._

* * *

 **Chapter 19:** High Ambitions

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Midnight almost came as the shuttle landed outside of the heroes' base. The door popped open with Raff coming out first. He was walking backward while pulling one end of a gurney where Silver lied on top. His older brother pushed the other side. Blaze was carried out on a separate gurney controlled by the magenta dog and green hedgehog who initially helped Sonic after his long return. The medics already tended to the heroes on the trip back. Amy was supporting Sonic down the ramp. He hissed every time his feet touched the ground.

"Easy, Amy!"

"Oh, sorry, Sonic."

"You're good. It just hurts, you know? I think my ankle got twisted when he shot that energy beam at me."

She then shook her head while sighing.

"What is it?"

"I really wished I could've joined you, or at least let Raff, Savage, or Knuckles team up with you. When you decided to go alone, I was afraid something like this would happen. We're all thankful that Infinite didn't beat you down or we would've lost you again."

He rolled his emerald eyes. "Oh, come on, Ames. I was going to be fine." Then, he took a glance at her. She was looked hurt from his comment. He apparently didn't realize the true fear she had. "Amy, I didn't-"

The pink hedgehog stopped walking. She turned to face him, struggling to hold back tears. "Just because you _think_ everything will be alright doesn't mean that I'm _not_ going to be concerned. Eggman spent his time building his empire, and we did everything we could to stop him. When we tried to fight, we had to retreat. When soldiers were getting killed, we had to bury them. In one aspect, we may seem weak alone. But whenever you take charge and _execute_ it, that's what gives us confidence. We follow in your footsteps because it leads us to victory. But since Eggman took you out of the picture, we failed at everything...

"At least destiny was on our side when everyone else invaded the Death Egg and busted your blue butt out of jail. If you got captured a second time, there was no doubt that he was going to kill you on the spot. So for you to impulsively go on a solo mission without our proper consent, I couldn't stop thinking about what could go wrong. You got injured, and you weren't abducted. That's the best of the worst. Being gone from this planet permanently, that's something I could never bear. None of us would, really. But that's what we all felt when you first got taken away."

Sonic was ashamed of himself for being rude and not thinking properly. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

Amy carefully wrapped her arms over his back. Sonic knew better by not pushing her away when she needed comfort. As he slowly returned the gesture, they stood there for a while. She started trembling in his clutch. Soon after, a soft sob escaped her lips.

"I hate this, Sonic. This war is driving everyone to their breaking points. I really want this to end. I want it to be all over so we can go back to the carefree days."

"I feel the same way, Ames. We just have to keep pushing through, regardless of how difficult it'll be."

Another sob came from the pink-furred girl as she rested her forehead on his shoulder. Sonic patted her back then transitioned to rubbing it gently. Despite how emotional Amy was, he didn't blame her for bawling her eyes out. For him, he resisted to let out his own tears. Even if he tried, he didn't. He was more frustrated than sad.

Time slowly rolled up until Amy calmed herself down. She didn't want to waste more of Sonic's time. She adjusted her position to help the Blue Blur into the base. When Knuckles saw them, he rushed over to hold Sonic's right.

"It was only a matter of time until that beast tried to hurt you again."

Sonic huffed. "Well technically, he wasn't the only one who beat me up."

"What do you mean?"

Before Sonic could answer, Raff came up to them. "Guys! I think Blaze is starting to wake up!"

"She is?" Amy sounded relieved.

"I think so. We heard some groaning at first. Then, Savage and I noticed her moving her fingers."

"Thank Chaos she didn't fall into a coma or something. That's the last thing we want," said Knuckles.

"No, completely falling to Eggman is at the top of the list," Amy corrected.

"Well, yeah. But you know what I mean. We already lost so many people, and losing at least one friend would make us weaker."

"Knuckles, don't bring that up," Sonic shook his head with a small glare.

"Sorry. How's Silver?"

"Unfortunately, he hasn't moved since we picked up at Mystic Jungle," replied Raff.

Knuckles bit his lip before he regained his focus. "Come on. Let's get Sonic to the infirmary."

The four of them entered through a set of double doors where they saw Savage sitting near Silver's bed. Blaze occupied the one next to him. Knuckles and Amy carefully brought Sonic over to the mattress across from the white-furred hedgehog. Once he got settled, they checked the cat for any signs of life. Raff rejoined Savage as they looked after Silver.

"Blaze? Are you alright?"

Sonic remained sitting up as he hoped for the best. Soon, he and the others saw Blaze tilting her head. She lightly muttered before all of her senses came back to life. Suddenly, her entire body quivered. She jumped up in her bed, gasping as her eyes opened in a flash.

"Blaze!"

The cat slightly turned to her right to see everyone but Silver staring at her. "Knuckles? Amy? Sonic? W-Where am I?"

"You're back at the HQ, Blaze," Knuckles replied.

"How did I get here? The last thing I remember was Silver... Silver! Is he alright?!"

Amy and Knuckles frowned before they stepped aside to let her see him.

Blaze gasped. "Oh no... What happened to him?"

"You and Silver got beaten up by Infinite," Sonic answered. She looked over at him. "I saw you two down on the ground. He was about to kill Silver before I stopped him. He told me that he put a spell on you guys."

"A spell?"

"Virtual Reality. He was creating an illusion in your mind to mentally scare you."

"Oh, dear. Now that you mentioned that, I did experience something frightening."

"What did you see?" inquired Savage.

Blaze lowered her head. "It was like I was sent back through time. Cream was in my kingdom after Knuckles told her to run away from all the mayhem. Except, before I departed to Red Gate, Infinite appeared out of nowhere. He somehow managed to steal the Sol Emeralds and used their energy to destroy everything. All my guards either fled away or were vanquished by his powers. Out of instinct, I grabbed Cream's hand and ran as fast as I could. We ran for miles to get away from him. But I was going too fast that she had a hard time catching up. My carelessness made me accidentally let go of her. She fell down, and I was too late to save her because..."

Unable to finish her story, she started hyperventilating. Blood was restrained from running to her brain. She started to feel lightheaded. Her fingers tingled with anxiety.

"Blaze! Blaze, calm down!" Knuckles reached out to her.

She laid back on her pillow as the scene replayed in her mind. Out of nowhere, she screamed, startling everyone in the room. Coincidentally, her voice woke up Silver who instantly reacted.

"Blaze!" He quickly peered to his left and saw Blaze in a frenzy. He was about to jump out of bed, but the wolves prevented him.

"Silver, you can't get up. You're badly bruised!" Savage told him.

"I don't care about myself! What's happening to her?!"

Amy and Knuckles attempted to soothe her from her unexpected breakdown. Every lingering second made Silver more worried than before. Not even Sonic felt calm about it. Both wanted to do something, but their injuries limited them from moving from their spots.

"Blaze, listen to me!" Knuckles grabbed ahold of her shoulders. She stopped panicking as he gently pushed her back on her pillow to relax. "Blaze, it's alright. You're still here. You're not in Virtual Reality."

The feline sighed and laid a hand on her forehead. "Oh my god. I didn't mean to freak out like that."

"I don't blame you, Blaze," said Sonic. "I kind of had a breakdown myself when I went through the same thing."

"You did?"

That's when he noticed that everyone had their eyes on him. "Yeah."

"You never told us that," Amy furrowed her eyebrows.

"I wasn't comfortable to talk about it at the time."

"Blaze, I don't know if you're willing to continue or not. You don't have to-"

"No, Knuckles. It's just... I have never gone through such a traumatic nightmare before. I don't even remember where I left off either."

"You said you were running away with Cream before you accidentally let go of her hand."

"Oh... right. As I was saying, Cream fell down when I ran too fast. Infinite managed to catch up easily. Then, he grabbed her off the ground. I wasn't courageous enough to run back and stop him. Because of that, he fired at her."

Everyone was stunned. No one said a word until she spoke up a minute later.

"Before she 'died', she glanced at me with a horrified look on her face. It was like she thought I failed to keep her safe. As far as I know, the people in my kingdom are currently looking after her as we're fighting. But if she actually perished, I wouldn't know what to do after that."

Silence roamed in the room again. It was daunting to imagine the young rabbit falling victim to either Infinite, Eggman, or anyone evil in general. Considering Blaze developed a nice friendship with Cream, she was the most scared for her well-being.

"Blaze?"

She turned to her bedside friend. "Yeah, Silver?"

"I'm sorry you had to go through that."

She shook her head. "It was only fake. I mean, it had to be. I just hope she's alright back at my home."

"I'm sure she is," Knuckles reassured.

"Silver?" Savage got his attention. "Do you feel fine? I mean, you haven't moved for a few hours until Blaze inadvertently woke you up."

"I feel some pain in my shoulders and legs. I don't think anything is dislocated. But I'm sore, that's for sure."

"Take it easy, man," Knuckles told him when Silver tried to rub his shoulder blade.

"Ugh... Besides the pain, my head's spinning. However, it's not from being knocked out. What even happened in the jungle?"

Sonic took the time to explain the same thing to him.

"Shoot. I guess that's why I feel unsteady."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Raff asked.

"I mean, I personally don't think it's as horrible as what Blaze experienced. Nonetheless, it's as heart-wrenching."

"No one's going to force you to speak if you're not comfortable about it. Trust us, Silver, if you don't want to explain it, that's perfectly fine," mumbled Amy.

"Well, do you mind if I only talk to Blaze? Just for a few minutes."

"You can. But we'll have to move Sonic out of the room."

"It's alright. I don't mind."

"Thanks, Sonic," Silver appreciated.

The blue hedgehog nodded at him. Knuckles, Amy, Silver, and Raff each took a corner of his bed and mindfully rolled it out of the infirmary. Once Silver and Blaze were alone, the cat turned to her friend. She saw him looking down at his lap.

"So, what did you see in your vision?"

Silver closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose softly. "You."

"What?"

"I saw you, Infinite, and myself. We were all back in Mystic Jungle, trying to defend ourselves from Infinite as if he never knocked us out in the first place. Like before, we struggled to meet his match. Infinite kept hurting us. The main difference was that instead of falling into consciousness, he restrained me from moving. He trapped me in a force field while you were lying on the ground, helpless. I wanted to break free and save you. You shouted my name when you needed me. But I wasn't able to return the favor. Infinite took control and fired a deathly beam of light at you. You screamed from the pain, and I had to witness it. That was when I woke up. I thought I actually lost you."

The sadness in Silver's voice made Blaze's heart drop. She wanted nothing more but to get up from her spot and give him a warming embrace. But it was already inferred that she shouldn't move if she doesn't want to worsen her injuries. The only thing she did was comfort him.

"Silver, you really mean a lot to me, and I know you feel the same way towards me. I can bet that you would feel upset if I was gone in your life. But I'm not. I'm here with you."

He sighed loudly. "Yeah. That's one positive to look at. I'm just glad that was only a bad dream."

"Me, too. And that goes for my nightmare as well."

"Maybe with some well-deserved rest, we can pick up from where we left off. Only we'll be more prepared."

"How so?"

"I don't know right now. But only time will tell. We just have to persevere."

Blaze agreed to his statement. "We might as well turn in for the night."

"Yeah, I guess-" Silver stopped when he heard the doors open. He and Blaze looked over to see Raff.

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't disrupting anything, was I?"

"No, it's alright, Raff," Blaze waved it off. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just that Rouge and Omega are back. Rouge is going to need some medical attention as well while Omega needs to reboot."

"Is Rouge okay?" Silver tilted his head.

"One of her wings got bent. She told Knuckles that they found Shadow and fought him."

Both their eyes widened. "They did?!"

"Mm-hmm."

"Did they manage to bring him to normal?"

"Uh, no. In fact, he's not even here. Rouge said that he somehow escaped."

"That's not good at all."

"You don't mind if they can head inside here, do you?"

"Well, Blaze and I were about to get some rest. But you might as well bring everyone in, including Sonic since he was a part of the torment."

Raff bobbed his head before he left momentarily. He returned with Knuckles, Savage, and Amy pulling the blue hedgehog into the infirmary. Omega and Rouge entered after them.

"Silver, Blaze. I heard what happened to you guys. I hope Infinite didn't harm you that badly."

"Physically, we're not in good shape. At least we didn't have any major concerns though."

"How's your wing, Rouge?"

"Could be better, Blaze. The ice pack I was given should slowly heal it. I also had to take some pills from a headache I received."

"I can't believe Shadow would do that to you," Sonic grumbled with narrowed eyes.

"He was indubitably merciless," Omega added into the conversation. "We were nearly terminated, but I did my job to stop him."

"And by 'doing his job', he meant he made him disappear," Rouge rolled her eyes.

Knuckles was disappointed as he leaned against one of the walls. "Great. If I would've known that this was going to happen, I shouldn't have sent most of you out for action."

"Don't put yourself at fault, Knuckles," said Amy.

"Yeah. Everyone tried their best. It's just that things didn't go our way," Raff backed her up.

"But given the circumstances of what has happened, I think we need to lay low for a bit."

"Knux, you can't be serious," Sonic frowned.

"I am. Since five of you need to heal up and with the Chaotix coming home fatigued with the other soldiers, that just leaves Amy, the wolves, and myself as the main unit. If at least another one of us goes down, we'll be in a much worse position than where we are now."

"That's not going to help us in the long run," Savage countered. "Those other animals out there are depending on us to lead them to victory over Eggman's empire. And you think the best strategy is to sit here and let them wreak more havoc?"

"Savage, I-"

"Can I please finish my thought? Last night when Sonic and I settled our differences, you told us that we all had the same intention in our minds: beating Eggman. That meant we have to do whatever it takes to complete our goal, which means _no_ breaks except for daily sleep. Taking a rest to heal some wounds? That's a major exception because it's better for everyone to go in when healthy. But having _everyone_ be idle for a few days? It's a waste of time! All of our hard work could go to waste...

"Eggman can regain those territories he recently lost. Infinite can help him slaughter more innocent civilians as if he hasn't killed enough for fuck's sake. The other villains will retain their dominance to subjugate us. Under the name of the Revengeful Resistance, how does revenge play into our objective if we decide to just lay low for a short while? That would give them the implication that we aren't determined enough to fight back. All those soldiers and the rest of Mobius will think that we're too cowardly or incompetent to provoke a bold move. I don't want to go back down that path again! The last time I did that, Infinite nearly killed me!"

Raff stared up at him with a shocked expression. "He did?"

Savage's shoulders slouched. "Almost. A couple of months before I joined the Resistance, I saw plenty of people fighting in the city, but none were lucky to stop him, nor were they lucky to survive. I was one of those bystanders who tried to escape the destruction. At one point though, I grabbed one of the dropped guns and aimed at him. My hands were shaking, and I didn't have the guts to fire at him. Infinite shot a beam at me, and I narrowly avoided it. When I fell, he declared that I was pathetic and useless to fight. He could sense how anxious I felt. I was so lucky that he spared me because he thought that I was going to die anyway. **_(1)_** Even though that lowered my self-esteem, it also gave me more motivation to build my character and redeem my mistakes."

The eerie hush once again roamed in the infirmary. This was all new information to the gang. The young wolf went up to his brother and embraced him, suppressing a sob. Savage crouched down to return the hug.

Besides Raff, no one felt more terrible for the rookie than Sonic. He was initially an average joe who wanted to show his might after the horror he experienced. After seeing him in action at the Arsenal Pyramid, he believed that Savage had talent and heart. He seemed capable of aiding the team to take down the Eggman Empire. And in Sonic's eyes, the thought never changed. If it weren't for him, he wouldn't know what would've happened to his friends or himself. He might not have escaped the Death Egg if he didn't join forces with them.

"Savage," he called to him. The red wolf pulled away from Raff to face the bedridden hedgehog. "I can definitely say that you're a brave man considering you wanted to join the Resistance. And with your help, everyone managed to rescue me and hundreds of animals. Knuckles and I got to see you take control in our pursuit to destroy the factory in Green Hill. So everything that Infinite told you back then, you've disproved all his statements. You aren't pathetic or useless. You're strong, fast, and ambitious. You have a ton to prove Infinite that he's wrong about what he thinks of you."

"Yeah, I kind of do," Savage realized his point.

"And I'm sure that Eggman will also have a rough time when you get your revenge on him."

"Oh, hell yeah. I still have plenty to say to that fat bastard."

"I do, too," Sonic smirked. "Just from what you mentioned, you started to sound like me, creating a speech about having high hopes, persevering, and looking forward to the future."

"Wow, I never realized that until now."

"Just setting your goals and having the will to achieve them is what matters. If you don't succeed the first time, who's to say that you can't do it the second time? Or the third try? All you have to do is to not give up!"

Knuckles walked up from behind and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Savage, I think you've made a powerful statement. Maybe we do have to keep our chins up if we want to assure everyone that we can counteract Eggman's battalion."

Savage looked around to see everyone's faces, to which they all agreed.

"But still, we need to be cautious with our plans. While everyone else rests, we'll continue the fight. Does anyone have any questions or counter proposals?" No one responded as they all concurred. "Excellent! With that being said, now is the time to get another good night's sleep."

Savage, Raff, Amy, and Knuckles retreated to the dorms, leaving Sonic, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, and Omega to rest in the infirmary. Soon after, the Chaotix made it home. They were told by Knuckles to take a break after saving the people in Park Avenue, to which they were all happy about. The Revengeful Resistance may have lost some battles recently, but this war was far from being over.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I really don't have much to say about this part other than the fact that Amy and Raff will return to the action. Coming up, we will get to see Eggman after being absent for a couple of chapters, and he'll be meeting up with his jackal slave. You can pretty much tell where this is going. I do have another surprise waiting for you. It's not about the secret, but it's something. You'll have to find out later._

 _As always, thanks for taking the time to read my fanfic. If you haven't already, be sure to follow/favorite for more updates. Be sure to review down below on what you think of this chapter. Don't hesitate to tell me if I missed something, made any spelling/grammar mistakes, or if I described anything inaccurately. I'll see you next time for Ch. 20 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _This background is relevant to the cutscene prior to the 'Prison Hall' level. However, I didn't think it was necessary to write a flashback section. I thought Savage was fine explaining it verbally._


	20. Ch 20: The Deadline

_A/N:_ _Although it's been a while since I updated this story properly (and again, I apologize), I have decided to take down the poll question for this story because it hasn't gotten much traction since I posted Ch. 19. However, I am going to reveal the big secret in Ch. 22. Yes, we are **that** close._

 _To start off this one, we are going through another 'Classic Sonic' stage. Except, the characters from this part of the game are replaced by Amy and Raff, just like the Ghost Town level. And as a warning, more violence will be included._

 _ ***EDIT: I forgot to mention that I want to thank everyone for reading and reviewing since I last uploaded an actual chapter. Thanks for over 10,000 views and 180 reviews!**_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic and Sega are not owned by me. I only take credit for this rewrite._

* * *

 **Chapter 20:** The Deadline

 _Location: Death Egg_

5:30 a.m. was what he read on the clock in the bottom right of the computer screen. It's not like time mattered in space though. But down below, the sun hasn't risen over the horizon of Red Gate City or any other of the nearby regions of the zone. Time was of the essence for the Revengeful Resistance as they were unknowingly losing precious seconds before the entire fate of Mobius was in Dr. Eggman's hands.

Speaking of the doctor, he was sitting in his main control room. Except, he wasn't focused on time or his future plans. Instead, he was fuming about something else. His mustache sagged. Arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were squinted behind his pince-nez glasses while he stared at the computer screen. What he was doing was trying to find Infinite's current location.

Ever since the jackal left the Death Egg, Infinite had not reported back about his status or the fate of any of the Resistance members. His last known location was in the Mystic Jungle. Eggman suspected that Sonic would've fallen for the bait, and Infinite would take care of the rest. That was not the case considering there hasn't been any recent activity. Infinite didn't say a word, and Sonic was not back in his prison. Eggman had a feeling something odd was up, considering the tracker he put on Infinite's mask was apparently disabled. He created a tracking device for Infinite to give him a proper answer of where he was in the case that he wasn't with his boss in nearby range. Because there was no signal, the scientist grumbled, thinking that not only had he found a way to disable it, he did it on purpose.

Fingers curled into fists as he slammed the keys in front of him. The action caused him to accidentally shut down the browser as the crackling sound of static blasted out of the speakers. Turning off his computer, he stood up from his chair and stomped out of the room. It took a couple of minutes to finally find his robot henchmen. After they finally cleaned up the spoiled mess from earlier, Orbot and Cubot were resting in their room. Eggman turned on the lights and screamed at them.

"ORBOT! CUBOT!"

"Wah! What's that?! Are my cookies done?!" Cubot started panicking in his bed.

"Ugh... What is it, Dr. Eggman?" Orbot groaned while he placed a hand on his head.

"Where is Infinite?!"

The red robot blinked, struggling to stay awake. "Infinite? I thought you sent him down to Mobius to continue wreaking more havoc."

"I did... _Yesterday_..." Eggman scowled. "And he hasn't reported anything back to me, nor has he returned here with Sonic! So where is he?!"

"How are we supposed to know?" Cubot shrugged before yawning. "Maybe he decided to torture Sonic first before bringing him back."

"Bah!" Eggman threw his hands in the air. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted that one-eyed freak in the first place!"

"Well technically, his eyes were normal before you gave him that scar."

The doctor made a beeline towards Cubot as he reached out and grabbed him by his square noggin. "Listen here, you yellow blabbermouth! I couldn't care less if I scarred both of his eye sockets and replaced them with robotic pupils! All I want to know is where he is!"

"Doctor, I understand how frustrated you are, but Cubot and I sincerely have no clue."

"Grr... You two are useless!" He threw Cubot back onto his mattress. If it was anything that wasn't soft, his head could've toppled off his yellow-cubed chest. "That's it! I'm going to Mobius to find the little runt. And by the time we get back, he's getting another round with the shock collar!"

As the sound of his loud footsteps against the metal floor dissipated, Orbot and Cubot gave each other blank stares before turning back to the open door.

"Geez, he's still way too obsessed with his plan that he doesn't have time to think about anything else. It's always the same thing every day," Orbot complained.

"I know what you mean," Cubot scratched the back of his head. "It's like he's gone completely psycho for no reason at all. He didn't use to be _this_ evil. In fact, he's turned into this malicious monster, especially when death and torture are added into the equation."

" _Sigh_ , I really hope it isn't too late to say that he's lost his marbles."

"I think it's been that way since he started coming up with this plan."

"You're probably right."

Cubot was about to say something else, but another yawn out of his mouth told him otherwise. "Man, I don't know if I can go back to sleep now."

"Just try. I'm just as exhausted as you are."

Orbot slid off the edge of his bed and hovered over to the far wall, flipping the light switch off. He made himself comfortable before the robots went back to sleep... for only a solid twenty minutes after Eggman left. The sirens in the Death Egg blared loudly, startling both Cubot and Orbot. Despite how tired they were, they rushed out of the room and stopped in front of a guardrail. Peeking over, they saw the lower levels of the space fortress. Somewhere near the bottom, they heard several sounds of clashing as if someone was banging metal. But it wasn't like construction. It sounded like robots were being crushed.

"What's going on down there?" Cubot looked at his partner.

"I don't know. Do you think one of the prisoners has escaped?"

"If so, they must have found a way out of their prison. But that's nearly impossible if Eggman had assigned some guards to look after them."

"Knowing Eggman, however, he must have forgotten once again."

More smashes were heard as the sounds of something hitting the floor echoed inside the Death Egg. Then, to their surprise, they witnessed a few Egg Pawns fly across the area below, crashing into one of the walls. As several Buzz Bombers, Crabmeat, and Moto Bugs spawned close to the cause of destruction, something whitewashed the entire army in the blink of an eye. It happened so fast that Cubot and Orbot didn't know what to make of it.

"Do you think we should head down there and check the problem?"

"I think we should. This seems too urgent."

The robots floated to a nearby elevator and anxiously waited until they reached the scene of the crime. Random scraps of metal were scattered all over the place. It was almost as bad as the massacre of the Death Egg prisoners. But they were grateful that there wasn't any blood, to clean or even look at.

"Shoot, who managed to get this batch of Badniks?"

Orbot didn't answer, but he turned to a hallway where he saw more broken bits of the fallen robots. He inaudibly hovered over in that direction. Cubot, who noticed him, was curious as well, so he followed his red-sphered friend. The trail continued down the corridors as they turned the ninety-degree corners, seeing more fragments along the way. Then, they came to a specific room in the Death Egg, a location that they particularly recognized.

"Cubot, do you see what I see?"

It took him several seconds to take in the revelation of what was in front of him and Orbot. In a dark, enclosed room, there was a capsule that was laid on top of a large, rectangular table. What made it conspicuous was the broken glass on the floor. That glass happened to be part of the capsule's shield. It was as if someone from inside managed to break their way out of their cramped prison.

The yellow minion finally spoke to Orbot. "The doctor's _not_ going to be happy about this..."

"Do you think he escaped already?"

"How would he manage to escape? I don't think we have any more of those emergency pods, do we?"

"That's what you think, but I'm almost certain that Eggman has a prototype shuttle in one of his labs. If we could get there, maybe we can stop-"

 _"Emergency shuttle activated. Ten seconds until departure."_

As soon as the two heard the announcement over the speakers, they glanced at one another before simultaneously mumbling, "Oh, crap." The sound of the shuttle's rockets blasted loud enough for them to hear it through the thick walls of the space station. If robots could sweat, Orbot and Cubot would have bullets dripping down their bodies until their batteries become as dead as a doornail.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Despite all the smoke from the buildings on fire, the sun crept behind the polluted atmosphere. The fire departments were doing everything in their power to keep the city from crumbling even more while evading any of Eggman's intruding Badniks. The Commander woke up early to send several teams to their previously assigned locations and to reclaim the lost territories. Over the past hour, he was receiving updates from the base's radio station. As Knuckles received a concerning report from one of the troop members, Savage, Raff, and Amy walked into the HQ after checking up on their friends in the infirmary.

"Morning, Knuckles," Amy waved at him. The echidna waved back without saying anything to them.

"So, what's the game plan?" asked the red wolf.

"I'm busy at the moment," he said before hearing something from the receiver. "What? Oh no, Spot, I was speaking to someone at the base. What was that?"

"I wonder what's going on," Savage whispered to the others as they heard Knuckles talking.

"If it's a lead on Eggman, it's another start for us to get into the action," Amy mumbled. "We just have to hope that none of us will get mildly or severely injured like the others. I can't stop thinking about poor Sonic..."

"What about the others?"

"I'm concerned for them as well. I understand that Silver and Blaze are both trying to recover from their trauma. And then Rouge and Omega are not the best in shape after their incident with Shadow. But I'm more worried about _him_ , you know? He's been the most affected out of anyone in the room."

"Well, you're not wrong. I can't be complaining too much since I never had any actual beef with Infinite. But of course, he's part of the reason why my life felt miserable. First, he caused me and Raff to be separate from each other. Then, he belittled me for my incompetence. I'm just more pissed at Eggman even if he doesn't know me that well. Someday I hope I can teach those two a lesson when they mess with the wrong wolf."

"Or hedgehog," muttered Amy.

"Or anyone, in general," added Raff.

"What?!" Knuckles yelled into his microphone, catching the others' attention. "Are you sure about this? You don't know for sure? Ugh... Just great. Listen, I don't want you guys to go near him. Chaos only knows what horrible fate would bestow upon you. I'll send someone out to check instead. Keep holding the weaker enemies down though. Okay? Alright, good. Thanks for the update." He took off his headphones and turned off the radio as he faced his comrades. "I just got a call from Spot down in Green Hill. We just got a major breakthrough."

"What is it about?" the pink hedgehog inquired.

"Spot suspected that he and his team have a reported sighting of Eggman."

"Are you serious?" Savage wanted confirmation.

"I mean, it was a report. They said they could've sworn they saw him down there. Spot and the others highly doubt that it's a false alarm. But if we want to confirm their suspicions, someone's gotta check."

"So, who's going on this mission?"

"Savage, even though you and I traveled with Sonic to the Arsenal Pyramid and you may have a good idea of what Green Hill looks like, I think I'll give Amy and Raff the green light here. After all, they already had a turn looking over the headquarters yesterday."

"I'll be willing to go," Raff sounded determined. "How about you, Amy?"

"I'm happy to hop aboard with you!"

The teenage wolf was both a bit disappointed and concerned at the same time. He was hoping to get some revenge on Eggman, but his younger brother was put up on the spot to take on the challenge instead. However, Knuckles was the Commander, and he had to respect his decisions. Plus, Amy trusted Raff after the two first met in the streets of Red Gate, so they were already a decent team.

"It looks like I'll stay here with you at home turf, huh?"

"Sorry, Savage," he placed a hand on his shoulder. "Maybe we'll settle for another mission later. If that's the case, then the Chaotix can look after the headquarters."

"I guess that's fair." Savage looked over at his brother and Amy. "Good luck to you guys."

"Thanks, Savage. We'll do our best!" Amy gave the rookie a confident thumbs-up and a wink, imitating Sonic's usual gesture.

"I promise I'll be okay out there. I can look after myself, and Amy's got my back when I need it!"

"Alright, Raff," Savage kneeled down and playfully ruffled the fur on the red wolf's head. He smiled when he made Raff chuckle. "I trust you. And Amy as well. You got this."

"You can count on us," he smiled.

* * *

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Prior to their departure, Knuckles warned Amy and Raff about the updated landscape where the waterfalls and lakes were replaced with layers of sand due to Eggman's production of the former Arsenal Pyramid and the rest of the bases he built during his reign. The fertile land of green grass fell apart from the desertification, making it tough for people to run across the soft, yet uncomfortable, surface. They couldn't imagine how Sonic managed to get through this terrain. But if he, Savage, and Knuckles were able to prevail, the two believed they could do it as well.

"To think, this place used to have the best scenery. Or at least, it's one of those locations that is just breathtaking to stare at when there isn't any danger involved," Amy sighed as she stared at the massive amount of sand in front of her.

"I just hope we can restore this zone and the rest of the world, too. But that means we have to defeat Eggman first. Once that transpires, we can finally end this godforsaken war," Raff mumbled.

"It all started when that strange Infinite guy came into the scene. Without him, Eggman was powerful, but not _this_ powerful. We're just grateful he hasn't killed Sonic, but I'll never forgive any of those... jerks for afflicting him during his imprisonment in the Death Egg."

"You know, if you want to say something vulgar, go ahead. I hear it all the time from Savage."

"But wouldn't that be inappropriate? Especially in front of young people like yourself? I mean, no offense."

"None taken. But at this day and age, I couldn't care less. I don't think it really makes a major impact unless they utilize it in a very immature way."

"I mean, I guess Sonic sometimes swears in front of Tails, but only on rare occasions when he can't help it. And it's not like Tails uses such language frequently in his daily vocabulary." Amy shook her head when she realized she was going in a different direction. "Sorry, where was I?"

"You said you weren't going to apologize to Eggman, Infinite, or the others in their league of bad guys for torturing Sonic."

"Oh, right. Going back to Infinite, that creature was the reason for Eggman gaining all that control. I wish we knew more about his origin so we might have a clue about why he has helped him. And maybe we could actually know where he came from."

Raff pulled out his trusty nunchucks, swirling them with his right hand. "I'm all set, Amy."

In turn, she carried her signature hammer. "Let's do some damage." ** _(1)_**

The pink hedgehog and the red wolf dashed down the green hill that they stood on. They saw a couple of enemies in front of them, and they managed to wipe them out with their weapons. Before they could move on, a pair of Buzz Bombers and a trio of Moto Bugs came straight at them. Raff whipped one of the nunchucks as he held the chain, slashing hits through the cores of the large ladybug-like foes. Amy reached out with her hammer and slammed one of the Buzz Bombers into the other. The robotic bees laid on the grass, but not for long as Amy added a couple more hits to ensure they wouldn't come back to life.

Two of their next obstacles were the infamous pits and the spike beds that were found several feet below. If anyone failed to make a jump, they had to try to recover by wall jumping in between the pieces of land. But nothing hurt as much as those metal prongs. It was a recurring theme and a pain in the ass whenever Sonic or anyone felt the sharp points and lost all their rings. Amy and Raff took it easy by timing their jumps over the large gaps. Thankfully, it wasn't a hassle for either of them.

"There's so much damage here that we can't afford to spend any time to repair this zone. Eggman and his forces are too big of a distraction," Amy huffed.

"We still have to be attentive in case Eggman comes out of nowhere. And speaking of coming out of nowhere..." Raff crossed a wooden bridge as several piranha-themed fish known as Choppers hopped from below. He spin dashed into the first one before taking out the second with his nunchucks.

Amy ran ahead to take down another set of Moto Bugs on the other side of the bridge. She almost got hit by an incoming Buzz Bomber, but Raff was there to protect her in time. He took out the bee with a spin dash and earned a 'thanks' from his ally. Raff flashed a grin and a thumbs-up of his own before they ran over to the next section. Jumping off a spring platform, Raff and Amy reached higher ground and rushed through more enemies in their way. Some of the platforms they sprinted on fell apart. That wasn't their biggest issue since they didn't hurt themselves from falling. They have yet to see any sign of Eggman.

"Nothing but sand," Raff complained. "Green Hill is seriously starting to look like an actual desert. And it feels like one, too. The hot air is making me sweat so much."

"I feel the same way, Raff. But all of us had to deal with tough conditions. We don't always fight in ideal weather or a perfect zone."

"Can't say you're wrong about that. I don't have that much experience on my belt, but I'm doing my best."

"That's something to look forward to! Use that as motivation to distract you from this heat."

Raff listened to Amy's words and took them to his advantage. He carried on across a long strip of grass with three Egg Pawns. He avoided their blasters and destroyed them with his nunchucks. He faced a Moto Bug and a Buzz Bomber – only this time, he misguided the bee to aim at the Moto Bug. After it exploded, he took care of the Badnik with a homing attack.

Amy followed Raff and rolled into a tunnel that led them to lower ground in Green Hill. They maintained top speed while exiting the underground sections. Amy hopped onto a moving platform and pulled Raff up to avoid the bottomless pit. Afterward, they jumped to a grassy ledge where more Badniks surrounded them. The two glanced with smirks on their muzzles, eagerly determined to vanquish the line of robots. Amy whacked her mallet on an Egg Pawn, sending it into a Crabmeat and a Caterkiller. She also got rid of some Nebulas with her feet as she was busy whacking Buzz Bombers around her. Raff whipped out the end of his nunchucks in a horizontal fashion, slicing several Crabmeat, Caterkillers, and Motobugs.

They treaded past the fallen enemies before stopping at a long bridge of wooden planks. Amy had a feeling they would fall apart as soon as they stepped on it, so she told Raff to book it across. The wolf nodded at her. Amy and Raff moved their legs without hesitating or looking back behind them as the bridge collapsed one piece at a time. They also managed to evade an army of Choppers leaping at them. The heroes crossed their bridge safely and took a moment to catch their breath, but not before they shared a high five. Amy was about to say something, but the sound of her communicator beeping paused her thoughts.

"Amy, Raff, any news to report?"

"Nothing yet, Knuckles."

"Well, Savage and I just received another message from Spot saying that he has definitely seen Eggman."

"Really? No kidding?" Raff questioned.

"Unfortunately, Spot and his crew had to retreat because there's apparently another dangerous entity nearby," his older brother responded.

"Who's that?"

A small gulp was heard from the speaker before Knuckles answered. "Infinite." Amy and Raff's hearts skipped a beat at that name. "I'm not sure exactly where they are, but I'm going to guess that they could be close to each other, probably discussing secrets for their own matters."

"Is it possible to detect their locations, Knuckles?"

"We're still trying to get any sort of reading, Amy. Maybe-"

"Amy, look!" Raff got her attention, tapping her shoulder. He pointed over to something in the distance, hovering a few inches above the ground.

She gasped. "It's Infinite!" Amy pulled Raff away and hid behind a rock. They snuck over to glimpse at the jackal who was observing the sandy environment.

"What was that? Did you find him?" Savage was curious.

"Shh!" she hissed softly.

Suddenly, the masked figure stopped and turned his head in the direction of where he heard something. When he looked over, there was nothing. He was motionless, not to mention confused. After he returned his gaze to the deserted expanse, Amy and Raff poked their heads above the rock again, relieved that he didn't spot them.

"Come on," the young wolf stood up.

"Wait a second, Raff!" Amy grasped his arm. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I want to get closer to him."

"Don't even think about it, Raff!"

Amy covered the receiver with her hand. "Savage, don't yell. Do you want him to hear us?"

"Listen, I'm not going to attack him. I know how dangerous that jackal is. I just want to get close to see if we can eavesdrop on him and get any sort of information," explained Raff.

"How is that going to work?" Amy raised an eyebrow.

"He may be powerful, but he may also be ignorant enough that he could talk to himself without anyone noticing."

"I don't know about that, Raff," Knuckles wasn't so keen.

"Oh, come on, Commander. This could be a rare chance that we may have a lead on Infinite's power. If we can get anything out of it, this could be beneficial to come up with a future plan to take him down!"

"I guess I sort of see your point," confessed Amy.

"Well, only if you don't get caught, I'll allow it."

"I sure as hell hope you two won't get caught by that bastard or Eggman," said Savage.

"Don't worry. We'll be careful," Raff reassured everyone.

"I'll keep my communicator on speaker and at a low volume. Just don't say anything loud."

"Gotcha," replied Knuckles. He and Savage kept their mouths shut as they listened carefully.

Meanwhile, Amy and Raff silently crept closer behind another set of rocks until they were about twenty feet away which was still far away to see him, yet it was decently close to listen. They heard the antagonist mutter, but it was hard to perceive his words. Just then, a loud voice startled everyone, including the jackal.

"INFINITE!"

The masked figure felt his shoulders jump and turned around to see one pissed-off scientist, floating in his Egg Mobile.

"D-Dr. Eggman!"

"It's about TIME I found you! Where were you?!"

"I-I... I was-"

"Don't st-st-stammer in front of me!" mocked Eggman. He couldn't tell because of his mask, but Infinite was offended at his derision. "Answer my question _now_! Where the hell were you since I sent you to Mobius last night?!"

Raff and Amy had never expected Infinite to act like this before. He seemed like a heartless, unforgiving individual with a thirst of power and domination. What they were seeing was a frightened animal, like he was being cornered by some bullies in a dark alleyway.

"Do you want me to bring out the shock collar?" As Eggman mentioned said device, he pulled it from his Egg Mobile. Infinite stopped floating and took a step back in the grass. "Don't even think about running away," he threatened with a low growl.

The masked villain gave up. He sighed and let his head down. "You told me to find anyone of the Resistance and make them suffer from my powers. I was in Mystic Jungle last night when I found the futuristic hedgehog and his purple feline friend."

"Ah, yes... Silver and Blaze," Eggman acknowledged.

"I fought them near the lab that was locked down. I gave them a prescription of Virtual Reality to haunt their minds as they fell into unconsciousness. Before I could even get a chance to harm them even more, the blue pest got in my way."

"You mean you saw Sonic?"

"Yes..." Infinite felt agitated when he told the truth.

Eggman perceived this, raising an eyebrow while narrowing his eyes at him. "And?"

"...I let him get away."

"WHAT?!" Not only was Eggman shocked, but he was also furious (if that wasn't obvious). Raff, Amy, Knuckles, and Savage felt the former when they all heard the discussion from afar. "What do you mean you let him get away?!"

"I... I only-"

"Tell me _exactly_ what you did to make him go away."

Infinite let out another deep sigh. "I challenged him to a fight. Except, I wasn't the one who physically fought him."

"What does that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say I... made another clone to fight him." The tips of his index fingers repeatedly tapped with each other.

"A clone of who, might I ask?"

"Uh... It was... Metal Sonic," he fibbed.

"Metal? Why would you make a copy of him?"

"Just to torment him by showing that there can be only one Sonic. I mean, isn't that the overall purpose?"

"I mean, that is correct. But I don't understand the premise of your decision."

"It doesn't matter anyway. The point is, I thought he would be too powerless against me, so I got cocky and made a Metal Sonic duplicate. It turns out that I made the wrong decision. Sonic bested the fake duplicate, I gave him a few injuries, and I escaped without fulfilling your request. The reason why I didn't go back to the Death Egg was that I had a feeling you would deride me."

Infinite was expecting an immediate response from his leader, but he didn't get one. When he reluctantly looked up to see Eggman, his face was unreadable. Maybe he wasn't so mad at him.

"You bet your deformed soul I will deride you."

Well, shit. That's out the window.

"You let that blue pest live for another day, which is a massive source of concern for me!"

"Just be grateful you managed to get a victory out of this, but only because you took me in," he countered back indignantly. "He's beaten you for so many damn years, yet it only took until six months ago for you to finally achieve your lifelong desire. And again, you didn't do it single-handedly."

Eggman grunted before pressing a red button on his control panel. Soon, a robotic arm projected from the front compartment of his Egg Mobile, clutching Infinite's neck as the metal fingers gripped over his trachea as he desperately breathed for air. Amy and Raff were stunned. They never saw Eggman being sadistic to anyone, especially when the victim was a vital member of his army.

"You meddlesome know-it-all... What did I tell you about talking back at me?! Huh?!"

Infinite didn't want to answer his question. Even if he tried, he couldn't get a word out in edgewise since he was choking. At least for him, Eggman had enough and let the hand throw him to the ground.

"At least answer this question. Did you dispose of all the Phantom Ruby prototypes?"

"Phantom Ruby prototypes?" Amy reiterated quietly.

"What the heck is that?" asked Knuckles.

"I don't know."

After Infinite stopped coughing and recomposed himself, he glared through the eyehole of his mask. "I can assure you that they are all gone."

"Hmph. Finally, some good news came out of your rotten mouth."

"You do know that they were only defective models, right? They can only record the DNA of the one who triggered it."

"Of course I know that. I found the original Phantom Ruby and tested upon myself to understand its true potential. During my experiments, I found out that I can use it for control. That's where I had you as my test subject to see if my initial thoughts were correct. And I was right!"

"Use for control?" Savage's voice muffled through the communicator.

"Amy, what is he talking about?" Raff looked at her.

"I'm as clueless as you are. I don't even know what a Phantom Ruby is."

"Still," Infinite murmured, "only a being with my strength of will could ever activate the prototypes, even if they aren't the real thing. So, do we move forward with your plan?"

"Of course! When it's complete, the Resistance will be entirely erased with the rest of the innocent civilians throughout Mobius. The world will be nothing but ashes, from which a glorious Eggman Empire will rise!"

"The power of the Phantom Ruby will be no match for the Resistance. They will be forced to capitulate under our control."

"Exactly. Those simpletons think they can keep up with us by dancing with death. But little do they know that in just three days from now, my master plan will eradicate every single, bothersome being on this planet! You know what they say, the anticipation of the end is worse than the end itself. Maybe not in this case though."

"And who came up with that quote?"

"Was that a rhetorical question? I came up with it!"

"Of course you did," Infinite rolled his eye.

"Regardless, I'm still going to rule this pathetic world for all eternity."

 _"We'll see about that,"_ the jackal groused in his head.

Eggman frowned. "Don't give me that expression. And don't think I forgot about your wretched, little mistake where you let Sonic stay alive. Expect another punishment when you come back to the Death Egg."

Infinite didn't say anything. He didn't want to throw a tantrum, or worse, make Eggman have another episode.

"Just continue doing your job by finding any Resistance members, and let them fall under your control. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," he nodded.

"Good. Now get lost."

The thunderbolt insignia on the right side of Infinite's mask lit up in red as he flew in the air. He made his departure and left the doctor alone as he disappeared behind the tall mountains of Green Hill.

"Urgh, that could've been a lot worse. But no matter. I will get what I want: my Eggman utopia and Sonic's official elimination." Eggman pulled some levers and took off into the sky, making a return to his space fortress. **_(2)_**

Amy and Raff emerged from their cover after taking in the vital information that heard from their conversation. Their hearts couldn't stop beating rapidly.

"Did you hear all of that?" Amy spoke.

"We sure did," replied Knuckles. "If what Eggman said was true, we only have seventy-two hours before he commits his so-called plan."

"If only we knew more about it though," said Savage.

"True, but did you hear their discussion about the Phantom Ruby? That sounded important to me," Raff scratched his chin.

"It seemed like that's the reason why Infinite was so powerful and why he took down Sonic in Red Gate. If I recall, isn't that the strange, red object on his chest?"

"You may be right, Savage."

"But what is the origin of that ruby? How did Eggman find it? And what I don't understand, why did he give it to Infinite?" Amy tilted her head, feeling baffled.

"We need to find answers about this soon. But for now, Amy, Raff, go find Spot and the rest of his crew in the south side of Green Hill. They could use some reinforcements to take down the Badniks," ordered Knuckles.

"Alright, Commander. We'll get right onto it," Raff told him.

After Amy hung up, she ran a hand through the three bangs on her forehead. "This war just got more intense than before."

"Yeah, but we can't stop right now. Even if we have to stay up for the next three days, we cannot let Eggman win."

Amy understood the situation, regardless of how gruesome and strenuous the task will be. Three days was their deadline. If they don't stop Eggman and his army by then, the result was inevitable. Goodbye Mobius... Hello Eggman Empire.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Obviously, there are some missing elements from the game that did not make it into this story. That is explained in the PCN section below. But we do get the notice that Eggman has something up his sleeves that'll occur in three days' time. For those who did play Sonic Forces, it's sort of obvious, but I'll try to twist the plot a little while keeping some of the original content like other rewrites out there. But this is something I'll work on later in the future. Eventually, we'll get to see what happens next time._

 _Speaking of which, Knuckles and Savage will go out on another mission, only with some unexpected help. From there, they will come across a strange discovery. And following that, the big secret will be revealed to you all. Leave a review and let me know how this one went. Don't hesitate to offer any suggestions to make it better or what I need to fix. Follow and favorite this story for more chapters. Anyway, I'll see you next time for Ch. 21 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Obviously, the background for why I included the Green Hill level at this part of the plot has been reconstructed because of the characters I've included and how I wanted to transition to the conclusion of this chapter._

 ** _(2):_** _Speaking of the conclusion, I decided not to include the Egg Dragoon fight in this scene. I feel like I would drag the chapter even longer, and I didn't feel like adding it in. So if you expected an Eggman fight between Raff and Amy, I'm sorry to crush your dreams._


	21. Ch 21: Jackal and Hide

_A/N:_ _I'm going back to school this Monday, so that'll be a real joy killer as my stories will be randomly updated again (not like that has changed). I just hope I won't have any major breakdowns like before. Crossing my fingers here..._

 _Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one. And if you don't, then I deserve scorn._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I do not own Sonic or the other characters, and that'll remain true for all eternity._

* * *

 **Chapter 21:** Jackal and Hide **_(1)_**

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Savage pressed his glasses to the bridge of his nose, sniffing shortly when he felt an itch. He was busy looking at the map of Mobius on the large monitor. It had been a few hours since Amy and Raff left the call to help the soldiers in Green Hill. Over the course of time, he was updating the log on the territorial regions that have been recovered by the other units. The calculations showed that they were now up to around 14% of safe land whereas Team Eggman stood approximately at 86%. The rate had steadily fluctuated ever since Sonic returned to the team, which proved to be a key impact on the heroes' side. Despite this, they were far away from fifty-fifty to make it an even match, and Eggman's army was still holding the upper hand.

The wolf sighed before his stomach made a growling sound. Coincidentally, he saw Knuckles set down a paper plate with two sandwiches beside him.

"I figured you were hungry," Knuckles smirked. "I made some ham and cheese for us."

"Thanks, Knuckles," Savage grabbed one off the plate while the echidna took the other. As they devoured their lunches, the orange wolf returned his attention to the screen. "Phantom Ruby... Phantom Ruby..." he kept repeating to himself. "I'm on the same boat as Amy. What the heck is that thing?"

"Beats me. Eggman also said something about prototypes. I'm trying to piece together what that even means."

"Well, let's think. Apparently, before Eggman invaded Red Gate City, he claimed to have found this ruby. Heck if I know where he found it in the first place, but he mentioned that he took the time to research its powers. And after Eggman tested it, he gave it to Infinite as a test. Do you think that's what he meant when he said he was using it for control?"

"That's a solid theory you came up with, Rookie. But if there was something about prototypes, my concern is that Eggman must have made extra copies of this strange ruby. But for what purpose?"

"Could it be a part of his experiments? Maybe he wanted to make similar models to test them out without interacting with the real one. If it's rare, he probably didn't want it to go to waste."

"Maybe, but it doesn't make sense to me. There must be a reason why Eggman mentioned those copies."

"If only we had our hands on one of them. Even if they seem dangerous, maybe we can try to tap into its powers to understand why it's helped Eggman and Infinite."

Before Knuckles gave it any thought, he turned around when he heard the radio signal go off. It wasn't from Amy or Raff. The call was coming from a different soldier.

"Commander speaking from HQ. Who's calling?"

"This is Collar from the Mystic Jungle unit reporting to you, sir!" He was a black-furred dog with a white stomach and a unique red collar around his neck, hence his name. "My team and I are getting some strange readings from our system. The signals are coming from the laboratory that was locked down. It's right near the exact spot where Infinite fought Silver and Blaze!"

"Do you think Infinite is there again? Or is it one of Eggman's robots?" asked Savage.

"We thought it was Infinite, but something's odd about it. There's like probably two or more of these things on our tracker. The problem is that we cannot determine what exactly they are. But we can almost guarantee that they are not robots."

"Excellent," Knuckles groaned. "Just what we need: another mystery to solve. I'll go investigate these sources."

"Do you have any personnel to join you, sir?"

"I do. Savage, it's your lucky day again. You're coming with me once again."

"No problem, Knuckles," Savage gave a thumbs-up.

"What about us?" another voice called to them.

To their surprise, the front door of the HQ opened up. The two saw Rouge and Omega walk inside with the magenta dog medic beside them.

"Who was that?" inquired Collar.

"Don't worry about that. I'll get back to you later. We'll head down in five minutes." After he hung up, Knuckles started yelling at the white bat. "Rouge! What are you doing here?! You're supposed to be healing in the infirmary!"

"Hmph. I'm doing well myself, thank you very much," she said sarcastically, placing a hand on her hip. "No need to be so overprotective."

"Overprotective? I'm trying to look after you and everyone else! What makes you think that you're alright? If you're not in shape to go out for action and you severely get hurt again, I have to take responsibility! I'm not going to risk that chance!"

"Aw, so you do care about me, Knuckie-poo."

His cheeks turned redder than his fur. "Rouge!"

"What?"

"Knuckie-poo?" Savage was puzzled at the weird nickname.

"Don't make fun of me or call me that!" he hissed at the wolf with a fist.

"I wasn't making fun of you! I didn't even laugh!"

"Um, excuse me, Commander," the medic named Delilah spoke up to break up the random tension, "I apologize for interrupting, but recently, I was checking over her current health status, and it seemed that her wing is back to normal."

Knuckles blinked. "It is?"

Delilah nodded. "Luckily, it was a fast recovery. She tried flying for a short while, and she didn't report any signs of fatigue or pain. Her headache had also gone away. No signs of dizziness or unconsciousness."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. And as for Omega, he's up and running again after our mechanics team took good care of him."

"Affirmative. Main batteries are recharged and backup power is sufficient for new battle opportunities. I seek a chance at redemption," Omega responded.

"Just as long as he doesn't get shut down again," Rouge muttered to herself. "Seriously, Knux. I'm fine, and so is Omega. We want to join you. Because from my intuition, I bet you're going to need more than just the Rookie on this mission. No offense to you," she directed at Savage.

"Eh, you're fine," he waved it off.

Knuckles stood still for a while before shifting his head to the floor and crossing his arms over his chest. He pondered about Rouge's determination to assist him. Plus, Omega was also willing to offer support. Even though both had a rough battle against Shadow the night before, both looked healthy and prepared to hop back in action.

He was slightly reluctant, but he made his decision. "Okay, Rouge. You and Omega can join us."

The bat grinned. "Thanks for giving us the chance," she genuinely replied. "We'll do our best to not let you down."

"If we fail to succeed in our task, we will accept responsibility. Regardless of the outcome, we shall not let our impairment hinder us greatly," Omega boomed.

"Hey, Knuckles. Should we also explain the situation we learned from Amy and Raff?"

"What situation?" Rouge wondered.

"Oh, yeah. They managed to snoop on Eggman and Infinite in Green Hill Zone. From what we heard, we have some alarming news. Eggman has a secret plan, and he briefly explained that it will end all life on Mobius in just three days."

"Three days?" her eyes widened. "Oh, my. That is certainly not a lot of time."

"No, it's not," Savage concurred. "We need to stop him, Infinite, and the rest of his militia by then. Otherwise, all of our hard work would be for naught."

"Should I alert the others about this?" asked Delilah.

"Yes, please do. And find the Chaotix. I'm going to make them hold down the operations of this base as we all head out to Mystic Jungle."

"Will do, Commander," she gave a salute before leaving.

"Alright then. Is everyone good to leave?"

"I'm all set," said Rouge.

"Ready for action," Omega beeped.

Savage fidgeted his glasses before replying with a clenched fist, "Let's do this!"

* * *

 _Location: Mystic Jungle_

A place known as Aqua Road was found near the mountainous region of the large jungle, far from the Luminous Forest where Sonic ventured through. Because that path featured the gigantic snake, Knuckles had a bad feeling that their path would be blocked if they end up running into it. Due to this dilemma, he planned an alternative route that was considerably longer but less dangerous. It required going through several water channels that led to a humongous lake. At least Sonic wasn't participating in this expedition. Water was _never_ a good thing for the Blue Blur.

Knuckles led the quartet into the jungle while Rouge stayed close beside him. Savage ran behind the echidna and bat while Omega followed everyone else. Just then, Collar gave an update to the party.

"We seemed to have lost some connection to the strange signals we received earlier."

"How unfortunate. Well, we'll get to the bottom of this anyway," responded Rouge. "Just keep up at your current job."

"Will do," Collar hung up.

"If it's neither Eggman, Infinite, nor robots, what could they be?" Knuckles thought.

While running through another casino setting, they made their way to a wall only for it to crumble by a couple of Egg Pawns. Some of the stone from the wall nearly knocked them down.

"Holy crap! Is it just me, or did Eggman seriously wreck the entirety of this forest?" Savage asked as he took down one of the Egg Pawns with his Wispon.

Rouge disabled the other enemy before answering. "He and his army must have done a lot if they constructed this ugly casino. All the ruins that were built from the old civilization are practically gone. Any remnants of it would just fall apart like that one wall."

"Not to mention that Eggman had deforested this jungle from the construction of said casino. And like the buildings in Red Gate City, fires have been set aflame in the many trees around us," explained Omega.

"Brace yourselves, everybody!" called Knuckles. "We're going on a water ride!"

"What do you mean by that?"

Savage's question was answered when he and the others ran up a large incline before jumping out of a cave. They splashed through a cataract where the water flowed down to a wide flume with barrels, Moto Bugs, and other objects following the current. Thankfully for Omega, he was unaffected since he was waterproof. But because of his inability to swim, he had to balance himself on the barrels so he wouldn't accidentally fall into the raging stream. **_(2)_**

"Damn, these waters are rough. They're cold, too," Savage shivered.

"This place is enough to make us or anyone else dizzy if we keep swaying back and forth to avoid these Moto Bugs." Inconveniently, one landed on Knuckles' head pretty hard. "Ow! You little- I'm going to get you for that!" He started pushing his hands against the surface to move faster.

Rouge was amused by this. "I don't know why, but I always love it whenever he gets mad over the little things," she told Savage.

"Does he always act like this around you as well?"

"Only when I mess with him on purpose. I only do it for jokes... sometimes."

"Um... okay?"

Rouge then turned her attention to what was in front of Savage. "Look out!"

The wolf looked ahead and nearly screamed when he was about to run into a Moto Bug. He dodged to his left and burned the robotic ladybug out of his way. He ducked his head against the water while going underneath a set of vines with thorns.

"Thanks for the warning!"

"Anytime, Rookie," she winked. "I told Knuckles I had a feeling you guys were going to need my help."

As more Badniks kept flowing with the waters, Savage, Knuckles, and Rouge managed to bump into the robots as if they were performing a normal homing attack. Omega carefully aimed his lasers at the ones they missed to allow a clear path. At the end of the first torrent, the heroes took a big drop before landing in another flume. The downward slope was so steep that it was like they were enjoying a big slide at a water park. That was when the four ran into the bumpers at the edge, sending them over a large gap of the jungle. While Rouge and Omega flew in the air, Savage grabbed Knuckles' hand and carried them over with his grappling hook.

"Thanks. At least there's no sign of that snake that Sonic encountered," he huffed while they continued to run down the next section. "But it's still a long way to go to get to the lab. Eggman must have gone through a lot of trouble to make it hard to both find and travel there."

"It's likely that the doctor was doing something to that Phantom Ruby you mentioned to us before we arrived here. He could've been doing experiments they don't want others to know about," deduced Omega.

"More Egg Pawns up ahead!" Rouge pointed.

"I'll take the ones on the left!" Savage ran up and fired his weapon. Omega and Rouge took care of the others on the right side while Knuckles pummeled a line of Badniks down the middle.

Savage helped Knuckles up to higher ground with another hook shot with Rouge and Omega behind them. More Egg Pawns alongside a legion of Caterkillers and Buzz Bombers targeted the Resistance members but to no avail. Rouge and Knuckles went with close, physical combat while Omega and Savage had the long-distance range with their weaponry. With the Badniks gone, everyone made their way to a dash ramp and soared over to a larger channel with more Moto Bugs flowing in the water.

"How's the water treating you, Savage?!" Knuckles shouted over the sound of the current.

"Not too shabby! Just as long as these stupid bugs get out of our way!" he bumped into a couple.

"The flume is divided into paths," Rouge noticed. "I hope they all lead us to the same area!"

Knuckles took the left, Rouge and Omega slid on the right, and Savage went down the center. They all experienced several tight curves and twists through the wilderness. The slides all met with each other again as they glided over a deep abyss. Once again, Savage proved his worth to Knuckles by getting in range of him and using the airborne targets with his hook to land on safe ground. Rouge and Omega rejoined them as they stood outside the temple. **_(3)_**

"Another job well done, Savage. That grappling hook came in handy yet again!"

"It's no problem, Knuckles. I'm glad I could help out again."

"Now we have to figure out where the readings came from and who they are. Omega, can you detect anyone nearby?"

"Scanning for life forms. Searching... Searching..." he took his time. "I sense a strong presence lurking in the shadows nearby."

"You do? Where?"

"To our northeast. Their location is approximately fifty feet near our coordinates."

"Fifty feet? So they're technically nearby?"

"Wait. They're getting closer. The signals are slowly approaching."

While Omega tried to make sense out of his own readings, the rookie noticed something strange on the ground. He walked away from the group, moving towards the thing that caught his eyes.

"Savage?" Knuckles saw him.

The orange wolf bent down and picked up the object. Adjusting his glasses, he inspected a magenta and black stone with triangular faces and pointed edges. He was caught off guard when it glowed in his hand.

"Whoa. That's a little freaky." A thought clicked in his head. _"Is this a Phantom Ruby? Or perhaps, a Phantom Ruby **prototype**?"_

"DANGER! I sense danger in close proximity!"

At that time, a quick blur knocked Savage in the back of the head. His glasses fell onto the dirt next to him.

"Savage!" Knuckles and Rouge ran over to the wolf. Omega got his arm cannon charged up and surveyed his surroundings to find the source of trouble.

"Are you okay?" the bat crouched down to him, handing him his glasses.

"Ow... That hurt," he rubbed the back of his head and put them back on his face. "What was that?"

"I don't know," Knuckles looked around. "It happened so quickly that I didn't even catch it!"

"Show yourself now! You can't hide from us!" Omega demanded.

Savage realized that the ruby was nowhere in sight. "Hey! Where is it?!"

"Where's what?"

The same being that attacked Savage rushed into the party, sliding underneath Knuckles and causing him to fall on his back. Someone else was hiding behind the leaves of a tall tree. The shadow pounced on top of Omega's head before he could have a chance to shoot at them. It leaped onto Savage and nearly kicked Rouge in the face. She managed to duck and get into a fighting position until she saw what was in front of her. Rouge didn't move from her spot. She stood in awe, glaring at the two strangers.

There was a pair of black jackals who looked almost similar to Infinite. The one on Rouge's left wore a red cap on his head. The jackal on the right had a green bandanna wrapped around his forehead, holding the ears up. **_(4)_** What none of the others knew was that this wasn't the first time the bat had encountered them before. The thing was, they weren't the same ones she faced.

"Well, look at this," the jackal with the hat sneered. "I see we have some strangers in the jungle. What are you doing here?"

"Haven't I seen you clowns before?"

The bandanna-wearing jackal snickered. "Why, you're quite mistaken. I don't have any idea what you're talking about. I'm sure my partner has the same sentiment."

Knuckles dusted himself before he helped Raff up. Both of them gazed at the assailants.

"Rouge, what's going on here?"

She ignored Knuckles' question. "I've seen faces like yours before. Ever since Shadow disappeared, I ran into a couple of rascals like you when I tried to search for him."

"Huh, how coincidental. My name is Rascal, and my ally with the hat is Puck."

"Don't try to change the subject. What happened to the others?"

"And why the fuck did you assault us?!" Savage glowered.

"Isn't it obvious? You annihilated them, wench!"

Rouge was completely offended by his dirty comment. " _Excuse_ me?!"

"Yeah, I said it. You got rid of our other allies months ago! I think it's time for us to get some payback."

"Wait a second," Knuckles paused. "Rouge, what do they mean that you got rid of their allies?"

"Never mind that. Where was that strange ruby I found?" queried Savage.

"Oh, you mean _this_?" Rascal pulled the stone out from the back of his head.

"What the... Why'd you steal it?!"

"First of all, Poindexter, this wasn't yours to begin with. And for your question, Ketchup Face, that's none of your business!"

Knuckles was instantly enraged. "What did you just call me?!"

"Forget about that! Let's just take these guys down!"

"You really want to challenge us? I don't think you have what it takes to- URGH!"

Rouge landed a hard fist into Puck's left cheek, punching him into the stone wall. Omega, who had his cannon ready from a while ago, released an onslaught of lasers at the enemies. Some managed to singe Puck's fur, but Rascal evaded them while sprinting from Savage and Knuckles. The two chased after the bandit, but they stopped when he took out some bombs and laid them behind his trail. Knuckles and Savage had to hop to the sides where they exploded. Behind the clouds of smoke, Rascal whipped out his long tail, whacking Knuckles in the nose. Blood spurted out of his nostril as he tried to stop the bleeding with his glove.

"Damn it! What is that tail made out of, steel?"

Savage felt his appendage hit against his chest, sending him back a few feet. "OW! I don't know, but it hurt like hell!"

"Our best bet to get this psycho is to corner him. Let's run in opposite directions. If one of us get the chance, attack when he's in range."

"You got it!"

While the male animals began their strategy, Rouge and Omega were dealing with Puck after he stood up from the base of the wall. The hat-wearing jackal pulled out a blade and threatened the bat. She wasn't fazed in the slightest. Rouge flew up in the air when Puck ran toward her. She waited at the right time to dive down and pummel him with her feet. After she landed, Puck grunted and tried to hurt her again. However, Omega stopped in front of him and blasted another critical laser. The enemy hit his head on a tree trunk and groaned from the impact. Unfortunately for them, he didn't show any signs to surrender himself. Puck chucked the blade at Omega who sidestepped to his right. The sharp weapon clanged against the lab door and fell apart. The metal remnant of the blade landed next to Rouge, to which she jumped away to avoid getting cut.

"I'll still get you even if I don't have my blade! No way a girl's going to beat me!" screamed Puck.

"Pfft. Are you sure that you're a jackal? Because from what I see, you're a pig. A disgusting waste of life that wallows in the mud like the other ones I was forced to beat."

"You want to go?" he moved his fingers in a 'Come here' gesture.

"Ladies like myself are not the ones who start fights. It's always the guys who are full of shit."

"Oh, it's on!" Puck charged forward.

Rouge tested him by pushing against his fists of fury. They went head-to-head in each other's space, fighting for power over the other. When their hands lost contact, Rouge went straight for his face again, but Puck ducked away. He followed with a whip of his tail, copying Rascal's moves. He added some diagonal kicks while Rouge leaned back to avoid them. She couldn't utilize her fighting skills since she couldn't find an open opportunity. When she attempted to land a punch, Puck kicked her in the leg, causing her to grimace in pain. Puck smirked at the sight, but he didn't expect Omega rocketing at full speed. His large body frame crashed into the jackal as an act of retaliation. Down and defenseless, Puck saw a gloved fist moving towards his face. Rouge went all out with her martial art skills while giving Omega some room to fire missiles with his Lock-On Shot.

Back with Knuckles, the commander continued running after Rascal who ran out of bombs. He gave a dagger at the jackal when he looked behind and started chuckling evilly.

"You're way too slow to catch up to me!"

"Huh, you really sound like Sonic, only you're more of a narcissist than he is."

"You mean that blue cretin that got himself abducted for being a so-called hero? Ha! As if! Call me whatever you want, but neither he nor you will be able to stop us or our leader."

"You're about to eat those words," Knuckles rumbled.

"What makes you say that?"

"Surprise, motherfucker!"

Savage flew from one of the trees with his grappling hook and soared downward at the inattentive jackal. He was too late to dodge as the wolf tackled him to the ground and rolled in circles until they stopped. As Savage got back on his feet, Rascal had no luck when Knuckles delivered a nasty uppercut to his chin. As he was flung towards the wall, the ruby fell out of his possession. Savage seized the chance and grabbed it in his hand.

"I'll make sure he won't escape. Go help Rouge and Omega!"

"There is no need for backup," Omega replied, occupied with his attacks. "Rouge and I are adequate enough."

"Don't worry, Knuckles," she huffed while slamming her feet into Puck a second time. "We're taking good care of this prejudiced beast!" Soon, his body was out of energy and fell to unconsciousness.

Then, Savage peeked at Rascal who managed to get up. He was wheezing heavily, but his eyes sought revenge. When he headed straight at the echidna, the rookie acted out of impulse and stood in front of Knuckles. He fired his Burst Wispon and engulfed him with the flames.

"AAHHH! IT BURNS!" Rascal dropped to the ground and started rolling in an attempt to extinguish himself.

"Of course, dipshit. That's what fire does."

"ARGH! YOU SCOUNDREL!"

"I've been called worse," he watched him deteriorate from the burns and scars that he also lost his energy. Seconds later, Rascal stopped moving as he laid awkwardly on his side.

Knuckles let out a deep breath, holding a hand over his torso. "Oh my god... Savage, you saved me there."

"You're welcome, Knuckles. I wasn't going to let him harm you or take back the ruby."

"Oh, yeah. That's right. Can I take a look at it?"

Savage nodded and handed it to him. Rouge and Omega returned to their friends and gathered around at the moment the ruby sheened.

"It glowed again. I don't know how or why, but yeah. That's what I saw the first time."

"Omega, I don't suppose you can detect the significance of this... thing, can you?" Rouge looked up to him.

"Scanning for potential answers..." After a while, he replied with a monotone beep. "Negative. I cannot detect the basis behind this mysterious artifact." His tone didn't show it, but he was full of shame.

"It's not your fault. We just don't have a definitive answer on what this ruby does or how it relates to Infinite."

"But going onto a different topic, Rouge, do you know anything about these jackals? Did you say that you fought some before?" Knuckles asked, feeling like he was missing something.

Rouge bobbed her head, narrowing her eyes. "I did. I never explained this to anyone, but it happened a few months after I joined the Resistance. I still searched for Shadow since I lost my connection with him. Along the way, these jackals started to emerge into this world. I have never seen them before, but I've had a couple of battles against these guys. All of the jackals were different from each other. There was one who wielded a sword. Another had yellow gloves and a scythe. I also fought against a female with a green vest and shorter dreadlocks. But the weird part about this is that I only saw them once."

Savage scratched his head in bewilderment. At the same time, a strange noise rung throughout the jungle. He, Rouge, and Knuckles unknowingly shivered from the sound. "You mean, you never encountered the same jackals?"

"Right. I may have defeated them, but I didn't technically 'kill' them. Yet it's like they fell off the face of the world. I've never met Rascal or Puck before, and-" Rouge paused when she looked at the spot where Puck laid, only to find it empty. "Where'd he go?"

"The other swine is gone, too," Omega viewed the area where Rascal laid. Everyone was at a loss.

"Alright. This isn't funny. Who's playing games here? Is this Infinite's doing as well?" assumed Savage.

"Probably. But I don't see him at all. Those jackals couldn't have escaped without making any noise or something like that."

Rouge moaned as she placed a hand on her head. "Ugh... I think I'm starting to get another headache."

"We might as well head back to HQ and regroup ourselves. After that, I think the next step we need to do is figure out what this ruby or the original one does."

"So, are we done with this place?"

"Yeah, Savage. Let's leave. But first, let me give Raff and Amy a call. I think they'll be interested in hearing about this." He took a while to get in contact with them.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Amy. I think we have a lead on what that Phantom Ruby is?"

"You do?"

"Uh-huh. Savage found something similar here in the Mystic Jungle. Just from its appearance, it looks like a ruby."

"Really? So, what is it for?"

"That's the problem. We don't know," Savage elucidated.

"Listen, all of us are going back to the HQ now. You and Raff can do the same as well. It'll be more convenient that way."

"Sounds good. Raff and I are getting the rest of these Badniks in Green Hill. We should be done in about fifteen minutes, and then we'll head off."

"Perfect. See you at home base."

"Alright. Talk to you later, Knuckles!"

With the team meeting scheduled, Savage started to leave with Omega going after him. Rouge was about to follow before Knuckles stopped her.

"What is it?"

"You were right. We sure needed your help back there. I frankly don't think that Savage and I would've pull it off without you guys."

Rouge comprehended his statement and blushed. "You're welcome. I'll do anything to help the team out."

"How are your wings?"

"Not too bad. The left one is still normal. The right is a bit sore, but it's nothing too severe."

"I'm grateful you feel better at least. I wonder if Sonic and the others have recovered at this point, too."

"Well, only one way to find out. We gotta hope for the best."

"That's what I've been trying to do since this war instigated. It's such a struggle. And we all know that it'll only get worse."

"Ain't that the truth," she sighed. The two ran off to catch up with the others on the long journey back to Red Gate.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I legitimately hope that all of this will make sense soon enough as we prepare for the chapter that'll probably change the course of action from here on out. I wouldn't say it's the climax, but it's a major turning point. So with that, be ready to be amazed... or disappointed._

 _Please review down below on anything I should fix or what you think of the chapter. Follow and favorite if you like this story so far. I hope to see you all soon and that I don't rip my hair apart. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Another terrible pun here. This time it's a play on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde._

 ** _(2):_** _On the Sonic News Network, it says that 'Omega appears to be waterproof as he does not short circuit when submerged in water.' But it also states that he is more than likely unable to swim. I added the barrels for that reason._

 ** _(3):_** _As I mentioned before, the Casino Forest level is not included in this story as I changed both the order of the levels and the characters that are involved. And even though the Aqua Road level took place at night in the game, I'm making it daytime in this fanfic._

 ** _(4):_** _In a way, the Avatar unexpectedly came across two beings outside the Mystic Jungle's laboratory. (Obviously, it wasn't Classic Sonic and Tails.) You might be wondering, these are just the mercenaries of the Jackal Squad, right? Well, not really. The actual role of these jackals will be clarified later in the story. I have a different purpose of including them. It's only for a minor reason, but it kind of ties into the secret. Nonetheless, their appearances are based on the artwork of some of the jackals in the actual squad._


	22. Ch 22: Shadow of a Doubt

_A/N:_ _A suggestion I would like to make is to slowly read through the text because if you scroll down too far, you might accidentally see something that should've been read much later. It has happened to me before, so I want to let you guys know as I will be unveiling the secret._

 _As for the poll I put up earlier, there were only six votes:_

 _~Shadow – **3 votes**_

 _~The Phantom Ruby – **1 vote**_

 _~One of the Resistance Members – **1 vote**_

 _~Eggman's Ultimate Plan for Domination – **1 vote**_

 _Frankly, I wish there were more people to vote, but I can't influence that. Regardless, it's time to return to Revengeful Resistance._

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _The only thing I take credit for is this rewrite of Sonic Forces. I don't own any rights to the game, the characters, or the franchise._

* * *

 **Chapter 22:** Shadow of a Doubt

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Delilah entered the infirmary to see an eager Sonic with a smile plastered on his face. She was carrying a tray with his dinner: two chili dogs and a can of Chao Cola, the same thing he had before his incident at Mystic Jungle. This was probably the only thing he didn't mind having every single day.

"Thanks, Delilah."

"You're welcome, Sonic," she set the tray down on his lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better than before," he replied before taking a bite.

"Sounds great. When you're done, I'll observe you again to see if you're clear to go."

"If I'm gonna be honest, I feel fine, like I can run a lap around the world again! Well, as long as I'm not running over water."

Delilah chuckled at his joke. "There's no need to rush. I know you always rely on speed, but taking your time will be beneficial in the long run."

Sonic took in her words before she went over to check on Silver and Blaze. Other Resistance members were being tended as well. As he ate, he occasionally glanced at his friends. Silver was resting in bed while Blaze was awake, staring at Delilah's otoscope as her eyes were being examined.

Earlier, the pink-furred medic warned everyone about Eggman's secret plan. Whatever that plan was, it was going to eradicate every single being on Mobius. When Sonic first heard about this, a flame lit inside him.

Every time the doctor had something involved with a timetable, he generally wasn't concerned in the slightest.

If was set in a month, he waved it off like it was no sweat.

If it took about a week, he didn't show any signs of stress.

But if it was going to occur in a few days or less, a fine line was drawn.

Half of him had that self-confidence where anything can happen, even a victory for himself and his friends. The other half focused on something that he doesn't do often: imagining scenarios where things _could_ go wrong. After all, it almost happened when Eggman had the chance to dispose of him into space.

Just the thought that everyone could die sickened the blue hedgehog. He kept blaming himself, thinking his cockiness was part of the reason why he got himself captured. Assuming that he could take down a new, mysterious foe that he had never seen before backfired on him. It led his friends and many innocent citizens to despair. Six months of despair. Not to mention, tragedy.

And even with his rescue, it didn't solve all the world's problems. Eggman was still out there with Infinite and his league of villains. Tons of animals who risked their lives took their last breath of air before perishing to his robots. The confidence that was once resurrected had slightly diminished. As much as Sonic wanted to remain valiant, he couldn't help but contemplate about the downsides.

Just then, Charmy opened the infirmary doors. "Knuckles reported that his team, as well as Amy and Raff, are coming back for an important assembly. They should be here shortly."

"Thanks for the heads-up," said Sonic. He finished his dinner just in time for Delilah to check up on him. With his body fully healed, he was the given the green light.

"You're all set, Sonic! I believe you're ready to go back out there."

"It's about time, too! How's Silver and Blaze?"

"I'm okay, Sonic," the feline told him from across the room. "But I need more time to recover. The same goes for Silver."

"Alright then. Hope you guys feel better soon."

"We appreciate it."

Sonic got up and headed to the main hideout room where the Chaotix was. And true to Charmy's words, the echidna walked in with Savage, Rouge, and Omega. Amy and Raff returned a few minutes after them.

"Hey, Big Blue. Good to see you again," Rouge smirked.

"Are you better now?" asked Amy.

"Sure am! Blaze and Silver need more time to heal though."

"Then we'll leave them be for the rest of the day. And it's good to see you back on your feet again," said Knuckles. "Anyway, I set up this team meeting even though I'm sure all of you know by now that Eggman has something dangerous set on the horizon. While we don't have specific details, we are aware that we only have less than seventy-two hours to overthrow his empire. Typically, I would let out a small chuckle at this, but laughing matters are not appropriate in this case."

"This entire war isn't a joke, so there's no reason to laugh," Espio crossed his arms.

"On a secondary note, Savage has found out something vital during our mission in Mystic Jungle. Show them, Savage."

The orange wolf revealed the object to everyone.

Vector was intrigued by the red glow. "Whoa, what is that?"

"We think it's a Phantom Ruby."

"Phantom Ruby?" Espio raised an eyebrow.

A light bulb lit up in Sonic's head. He vaguely remembered hearing that name from his nightmare in Virtual Reality. He didn't say anything though.

"The rookie discovered it before we faced a couple of evil jackals that tried to ambush us for it," Rouge mentioned. "We presume that the ruby is important for something."

"We overheard Eggman and Infinite talking about it in Green Hill," Amy recalled. "Besides the one on the latter's chest, there were apparently more of these."

"The one detail we learned about was that they were defective prototypes," elucidated Raff. "If we had to guess, Eggman made tons of copies to test out the powers. And once he figured it out, he gave the real one to Infinite, leading to the invasions in Red Gate and the other major zones of Mobius!"

"Knuckles and I heard the conversation from Amy's communicator. Infinite said that they were all gone, but this one seems to be intact," Savage commented, rotating the ruby in his hand.

"So, what does this all mean?" Charmy glanced at Knuckles.

"It means we have a promising lead for our next quest. If we can figure out what this Phantom Ruby is, we might be able to understand the background behind this powerful jewel and this 'Virtual Reality' thing that's associated to Infinite. Even if we don't have the real one, it's a start, and that's better than nothing."

"Where do we go from here?" Espio wondered.

Rouge snapped her fingers as she had an idea. "I heard rumors from the squad in Chemical Plant that Eggman's database is located somewhere in the factory. If we can check that out, maybe we can find some intel. And because Savage and the Chaotix helped clear the plant, it should be easier to traverse there. But I would bet Eggman sent more of his Badniks to try and reclaim the zone."

"Hold on," Amy stopped her. "Wouldn't Eggman's database be locked by a tight security system? I mean, knowing how much that guy relies on technology, he probably has something like that to secure some valuable information."

"Only someone with a high, if not extremely high, intelligence quotient can override both a security system and password of the database without any issues," Omega replied.

 _"Man, I wish Tails was still here. He'd be able to handle it,"_ Sonic moped.

"Who are we going to find someone smart?" questioned Vector.

"Ahem," Raff cleared his throat. "I don't know if you forgot, but if I shut down the alarms in the Death Egg, I could try to do the same thing for Eggman's databank at Chemical Plant."

"Oh, that's right! I forgot about that!"

"Okay, Raff. I'll assign you to head to Chemical Plant and hack into the system. But because you're technically a rookie like your brother, you're going to need at least one partner. Amy, since you worked well with Raff today, I'll send you out, too."

"Can do, Knuckles!" Amy saluted.

"Um, is it possible for me to join in?" Savage hesitated.

"Do you want to?" Knuckles looked into his unsure eyes.

"Well, it's just that I never really got to spend time with Raff since our fight, and I happen to know more about Chemical Plant since I got to travel there. So, I was wondering-"

"I would like Savage to join us," Raff intervened, causing his brother, Knuckles, and the others to point their eyes at him. Despite being looked upon, the younger wolf remained assured. "To be honest, I feel the same way. We never went on a mission together, so why not let him come to Chemical Plant? I'm sure Amy won't mind either, right, Amy?"

"Of course I don't mind!" she delightfully replied.

The Commander turned to the teenage rookie. "Sounds like they approve of you. And for that, I'll be willing to let you head off as well."

Savage smiled. "Thanks, Knuckles."

"We don't want to waste any more time, so you three better leave right away!"

"Yes, sir!" they shouted before exiting the headquarters.

"Is there anything else that we can do?" asked Sonic.

"Unless one of our teams needs reinforcements, the least we can do is hold down the fort, as boring as it sounds."

Charmy noticed a signal from the radio. "Hey, guys! I think someone's trying to give us a call!"

Knuckles went over and put on his headphones. After talking for about a minute, he turned to his allies. "We got another big break. A few of our soldiers do need our help."

"Where at?"

"Here in Red Gate, near Sunset Heights. But there's more to it. Shadow's been spotted."

Sonic's eyes widened before they narrowed into an annoyed expression. "Shadow... Last time I saw him was before I was taken to the Death Egg."

"Do not disregard the fact that he attacked us in Emerald Hill last night," reminded Omega.

"You're right, yet I find it a bit odd that I haven't encountered him since."

Vector looked lost, playing with his gold chain. "I don't understand why Shadow would be working for the enemy."

"I still have the theory that he's been brainwashed by Infinite," Rouge frowned. "Unless anyone has other ideas, I can't think of a more logical reason."

Sonic made a fist with his right hand and punched it in his left. "Whatever the case is, I want to go out there and find him."

"Looks like we got a volunteer to head out to Sunset Heights. In the meantime, Chaotix, you go out to the city to help the soldiers. Omega, Rouge, and I will remain here."

"Sounds like a plan to us," Espio nodded.

"Good luck out there. Call us if you need help."

Sonic maintained his scowl as he left the base. _"Shadow, when I find you, you're going to **pay** for what you did."_

* * *

 _Location: Chemical Plant Zone **(1)**_

Amy, Savage, and Raff made their way into the factory. There weren't any signs of Eggman's Badniks, so it was off to a decent start. But they kept their eyes open for anything that might come in their way.

"So, Rouge said the database is somewhere in here. There are tons of buildings and paths to take, but I don't know which one it's located in," said Amy.

"Considering I now know how massive this place is, finding the database is easier said than done," Savage shook his head.

"Let's run down this way and start from there," suggested Raff.

The trio began their descent on the first runway, leading to some blocks that moved in different arrangements that acted like a staircase. Ducking under some metal spikes, they reached the next level where Savage saw a pair of Egg Pawns aiming their lasers at them. With his Burst Wispon, he rushed over to burn them. The bounce pads allowed them to soar further on up while the tubes transported the heroes to another section of the factory.

After running up several loop-de-loops, the group descended down two elevating platforms, leading them to another tube. Despite how fast they were going, Savage was now used to the speed. As the trio reached the bottom of the zone, Amy shot out of the tube first. She ran forward with her Piko Piko Hammer, destroying some Egg Pawns in front of a flooded region full of Mega Mack, a pink, water-like substance that could poison anyone who stayed underwater for too long. **_(2)_** Amy reminisced how Sonic and Tails almost had their fair shares of nearly drowning in the Mack. The last thing she wanted was for the Wolf brothers to suffer the same fate.

"Be careful with this stuff. Although we have to swim through it, we have to balance ourselves to get fresh air or we'll get poisoned."

Raff gave her a nod. "Okay. Lead the way, Amy."

The hedgehog swam to the bottom of the Mega Mack, pointing to the others to grab an air bubble to replenish themselves. They did what they were told and followed her up on the nearest platform. They continued their journey through the next area, mindfully avoiding the spikes below and above them. Amy was pushed out of the Mega Mack by a jet stream blowing air up. She helped Raff and Savage out of the liquid once they made it to the surface.

"Damn, I can see Sonic hating this part of the factory," Savage coughed.

"Considering swimming was never his forte, that's a true fact. Come on. Let's keep moving!"

As they approached more Badniks, Raff and Savage teamed up to spin dash into every single foe, which impressed Amy. The wolves gave each other a high-five before running into a set of winding paths. Suddenly, they found themselves swimming in the Mack as the water level rose.

 _"Aw, crud! Not this again!"_ Savage complained in his head.

Amy noticed more of the moving staircases and urged them to hurry before the poison got to them. Thankfully, Savage made it up with his grappling hook to pull himself onto safe ground while Amy and Raff used the blocks to jump out. The orange wolf then saw a target he could use to swing across.

"Raff, hop on my back! Amy, hang on to my hand!"

His brother saw what he was planning while Amy was a bit confused. She soon found out as Savage shot out a hook to cling onto the target and fly over the Mega Mac. Amy let out a small shriek, but she felt relieved when they made it to the other side.

"Wow, that was pretty smart, Savage! Thanks for the lift."

"Glad I could help out!"

"It seems we're getting closer to the end of this section. Maybe we'll find the database over there."

It turned out that Raff's intuition was right. After passing through the last set of stairs and Badniks, followed by another round of flying over the Mega Mack, the Resistance members found their destination.

"Phew, finally! We made it to the computer room!" Amy wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"I wonder what's inside," Savage mumbled.

With his smarts, the young wolf was able to open the security door without the alarms going off. As it opened, they walked inside to see a large screen and keyboard surrounded by some other technical equipment.

"Hmm..." Raff inspected. "It'll probably take me a while to crack the code on this computer. I'll try to get through this fast, but I can't rush perfection when it comes to hacking."

The red wolf took control and spent several minutes typing away. The clicks and clacks from the keyboard only made Savage impatient. But to Amy, she admired his handiwork. It indubitably reminded her of a certain friend of hers, as much as it hurt to admit. Raff eventually managed to break into the system.

"Yes! Got it!"

"That's why you're the best, Raff!"

"Thanks, bro!" he chuckled. "Anyway, back to serious business."

"Oh, right. Don't mind us. Search away."

"Let's see here," Raff moved his fingers on the trackpad to examine various files on Eggman's database. "Failed battle plans... Old robot designs... Looks like prototypes of those Death Egg Robots from Red Gate."

"Those big bastards? He must've spent months creating those blueprints."

"Sheesh. The doctor's even stored ten terabytes of selfies in here. How self-infatuated is this guy?!"

"He's such a creep," muttered Amy. "Look at that photo!" she pointed to one where Eggman made a duck face. Or rather, a poor attempt at making one. "That's not the proper way you pucker your lips for a duck face!"

Savage was unimpressed as well. "Has Eggman's mustache always looked _that_ ugly?"

There was even a set of photos taken in burst mode. As he was posing in one selfie, the next one featured Orbot and Cubot sneaking into the shot. That transitioned to a slideshow of pictures where Eggman got irritated at his henchmen and pushed them to the sides as his face got close to the lens.

Raff shook his head rapidly, trying to wipe out the mental images that horrified him. "Chaos, we're getting distracted again!" he closed the file. Raff soon found what they were looking for. "Ah, here it is!"

A folder read 'Virtual Reality weapon'. Inside was a document titled 'The Phantom Ruby'. He clicked on the file and viewed the information on the screen.

"The Phantom Ruby is a weapon that takes control of people's visual and depth perception to feed false information to the brain, creating a new reality for them!"

"That's what Sonic, Silver, and Blaze suffered from!" Amy clasped her hands in worriment.

Raff kept reading. "Like a dream so real, if you bump yourself in it, your sleeping self... will bruise?" he finished, confused. "I kind of find that hard to believe."

"But Silver and Blaze did get knocked out into a deep sleep when Infinite attacked them," Savage rationalized. "And we all know what happened after that."

"I guess you're right."

"But that doesn't explain the purpose of the prototypes. Isn't there something that Eggman kept records of regarding that?"

"Hmm... I can check for more clues." He closed the page and resumed searching the folders. Something then caught his attention. "What the... Project Infinite?"

"What is that?"

"If I knew the answer, I would've said something else. But because I don't..." Raff couldn't finish his statement.

"What are you waiting for? Click on it and see what's inside."

"Alright. I'm kind of curious myself."

Raff stopped talking as he accessed the folder. The first thing he saw was a bunch of journal entries that Eggman typed up. What intrigued him were the dates that they were recorded. The first was composed about seven months ago while the last (and most recent) entry was written the day after Sonic was captured.

He didn't get a chance to see what was written since Savage noticed a strange detail at the bottom of one of the digital journals. "Hang on a second. What's that?" he pointed at a broken image icon.

"It looks like a PNG file."

"A what?" Amy was puzzled.

"A PNG file. Otherwise known as an image."

"Oh."

"I don't know if this will work though. The pictures don't have any names or labels on them. I can only assume they're linked to Infinite if they're under this folder."

To his content, the icon wasn't a broken link. But when Raff opened the extension, a new image abruptly displayed in front of him and his comrades. When they realized what they saw, their jaws dropped to the floor. Raff cautiously clicked the right arrow to reveal the next image, which also shocked them. One by one, every new photo they saw left them completely speechless. Amy gasped, holding a hand in front of her mouth. Raff couldn't blink as he was completely disturbed by the new pictures that he instantly forgot about Eggman's ridiculous photos. Savage took off his glasses and cleaned the lenses, hoping he was – metaphorically – seeing things. Unfortunately, his glasses, nor his eyes, didn't deceive him. He eventually broke the silence, speaking in a low voice.

"What the fuck?"

"Savage? Amy?" Raff hesitantly asked, his eyes still glued to the screen.

"Y-Yeah?" the pink hedgehog replied with a scratch in her voice.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"I... I do. But... that can't be real! There's no way!"

* * *

 _Location: Red Gate City_

While Amy and the wolves were in Chemical Plant, Sonic and the Chaotix already made their way into the downtown region of Red Gate. All four were befuddled at the amount of Death Egg Sentinels in the city.

"Eggman must have brought more of those robots to dig this place deeper into the ground!" exclaimed Vector.

"Chaos, there's so many of them!" Charmy was in disbelief.

"If we come across them, we either have to confront them or avoid the danger. One way or another, this place has devastation written all over it," Espio muttered.

"Just as long as we find Shadow, then that's fine by me!" the Blue Blur grunted with clenched hands.

Sonic was the first one to run down the street, setting up a direct path to fight the Egg Pawns in his way. The Chaotix did their part as well, using their physical abilities to wipe out the remaining enemies that Sonic left behind. At one point, Espio tripped on some rubble that a Death Egg Robot shot at. When he fell, several Egg Pawns surrounded him. Charmy and Vector went to his rescue, stinging and crushing them respectively. The chameleon quickly recovered, concealing himself before landing a couple of kicks on the last of the Badniks. After giving his thanks, he rejoined his partners in an attempt to catch up to Sonic who was miles ahead of them.

The Blue Blur ran up several steep stairways in the middle of the wrecked town. As he dodged the upcoming spikes, he boosted over to a bouncer that led him over a chasm and down a steep road with more Egg Pawns.

"Geez, there are more in this area, too?! Seriously, what is with Egghead and the size of everything that he constructs? Robots, bases... You think the guy would be overcompensating!" he said to himself.

The cobalt hedgehog made his way up to several large loops before running into a familiar set of buildings. At that time, a call from Vector came from his communicator.

"Sonic! We've fallen behind after some Badniks got in our way."

"Do you want me to slow down so you can catch up?"

"Don't worry about us!" he heard Charmy yell. "We found the army of fighters in this area!"

"We're going to help them hold off these robots! You keep going to find Shadow!" told Espio.

"Okay, guys! Thanks for letting me know! I'm still on the hunt!"

Sonic showed no signs of stopping as he navigated over the rooftops and through the broken buildings. He had to dodge to his left and right away from the fireballs that were hurled near him. He almost landed on a set of spikes, losing a bit of his balance. Unfortunately, an Egg Pawn took advantage and fired a laser at his stomach. Sonic was sent back a couple feet and landed on his back. As he got up, he growled and destroyed the weak Badnik.

"What goes around comes around. That's what you deserve, metal scrap!"

"Sonic!" This time, he received a message from Knuckles. "We have a report that Shadow is traveling above the city somewhere!"

"Getting close to him, huh?"

"Apparently so. Just be careful, Sonic."

"I'll make sure to stay focused, Knux," he responded as he slid down a grinding rail.

After leaping over more roofs and houses, he stopped at the peak of a winding road. From a distance, he saw a black-furred creature, idling in front of a ruined building that lost some of its yellow coat. Now that he found his target, he ran over to antagonize him.

"Long time, no see, **_Shadow_** ," he articulated with malice.

The Black Blur remained in his position, his arms crossed over his torso. He didn't make a single movement.

"What have you been doing since I last saw you? Killing innocent people?" he seethed.

 **Shadow** didn't react at all.

"Okay, what's with the silent treatment?! You go ahead and join Eggman's side for no reason, then you decide to make my life miserable for six months. And now you're just going to stand there like nothing happened at all?! What the heck is wrong with you?!"

Finally, **Shadow** spoke. "You're not dead. That's my issue. Until you're officially gone, I'll live in peace."

Sonic made a fist, waiting for the right moment. The ebony hedgehog skated over and jumped in the air, extending his feet at Sonic. He caused him to fall to the ground where they began wrestling on the street. With Sonic on the bottom, he grasped **Shadow's** hands as he tried to push him off. It took some time and strength, but he managed to escape from beneath. He stood up and sprinted at **Shadow**. He locked him in sight and prepared a spin dash. **Shadow** saw the blue ball coming towards him, but he sidestepped away in time. Sonic roughly landed on the ground and turned around to face him with a glower.

"That's the best you can do? Come and fight like a real hedgehog!"

"Hmph. I don't need your backtalk, Faker."

Feeling more determined and irate, Sonic rushed forward and attempted another homing attack. **Shadow** once again played the coward card and avoided his attack. He countered with a spin dash of his own and headbutted him into a pile of broken bricks. Sonic grunted from the pain, but he refused to surrender.

Both went back and forth with Sonic struggling to catch up to **Shadow** while the latter kept one-upping his rival. He didn't bother to taunt as he was blasé by Sonic's moves.

"Pathetic." With a raging fist, Sonic was pushed against the wall. **Shadow** restrained him as he kept his hand compressed over his throat.

Having trouble breathing, he shuddered as his vision started to worsen. "W-Why?" he whispered.

 **Shadow** didn't bother to answer his question. "Say _sayonara_ , Sonic."

Just when he was about to lose consciousness, a familiar voice was heard. Only it didn't come from the one who was choking him.

"Chaos Control!"

Something pushed **Shadow** out of the way, freeing Sonic as he began to wheeze. He looked over to see who saved him. To his surprise, however, he saw...

"Another Shadow?!"

"Get back, Sonic! Let me handle this!" Shadow shouted to him, running towards the other.

Meanwhile, the **Shadow** who threatened Sonic laid on the ground, red glitches glowing on his body. He peeked at Sonic's savior and grunted. Both hedgehogs went for each other, sharing several punches, kicks, and spin dashes at one another. All Sonic could do was watch with widened, perplexed eyes.

After minutes of intense combat, the Shadow to his left kicked the other **Shadow** into the sky before initiating a flurry of spin attacks to send him into oblivion. The glitches covered his body until he faded away. **_(3)_**

Shadow bobbed his head to himself, feeling accomplished that he took down the clone. However, Sonic ran up and pinned him down. "What the hell just happened there?!"

"That was a phony that tried to fight you," he grunted underneath him.

"Are you another clone like that Faker?"

"I'm the _real_ Shadow, Sonic. And I'm actually being honest here."

"How do I know that you're telling the truth?"

"I just performed Chaos Control. I fought against the Finalhazard with you to prevent the Space Colony ARK to collide with the world. I made a promise to Maria that I would help protect everyone to give them a chance to live. I _am_ the Ultimate Life Form. Do you need any more proof?"

Sonic refused to budge for a short while.

Shadow huffed and rolled his eyes. "You call me 'Shads', and it pisses me off whenever you refer to me by that nickname."

For the first time, Sonic expressed a small smirk. " _Now_ I know you're the real Shads."

"Just shut up and get off of me."

Sonic stood up from the Black Blur and brought him up on his feet. Then, his smile faded away immediately. "Alright, I have to know. Why was there a clone of you here in Red Gate?"

"It was likely used as a distraction to catch you off guard. I don't know if you're fully aware, but Infinite can create Virtual Reality projections. They have mass and form, but no heart and soul. He's been making copies of every so-called enemy that has tried to hinder you in the past."

"Virtual Reality?" The term rang into Sonic's ears again. "Wait a minute. So all those familiar faces that were part of Eggman's army... Zavok, Chaos, Metal, even you... They're none other than..." he eventually comprehended.

Shadow nodded at him. "They're only replicas. However, Metal and I are still alive as actual living beings. Well, if you even consider Metal to be alive when he's just a robot doppelganger."

"Yeah, that's true."

"Regardless, Infinite can duplicate him, me, and the others, which is why they joined the frontline. The problem is that even though they are not real, their powers are as formidable as their original counterparts. I faced Infinite beforehand and tried to take him down. That was barely over six months ago."

"Really? That meant it happened before I was captured."

"Back then, Rouge was trying to communicate with me. Unfortunately, I was going through some hallucination when Infinite put me into a loop of Virtual Reality."

"You suffered the same thing?"

Shadow shut his eyes and clenched his fists. Sonic saw how tense he looked. "I went through the terrible memory of Maria, how G.U.N. took her life away so quickly. It was like I was reliving that scene again, like I was actually back on the Space Colony ARK. Even the dreadful sound of those bullets kept ringing in my ears. I shudder every time it clouds my mind."

Sonic's shoulders slouched. The frown remained on his face as he sincerely felt bad for him. "Shadow... I'm sorry."

"You're not to blame." He stayed quiet for a minute, but he realized what Sonic asked beforehand. "Did you experience Virtual Reality as well?"

Sonic frowned and stared at the concrete. "Yeah..." he replied unhappily. "Months after my defeat, Infinite gave me a visit to my cell. He made me endure some horrible scenarios where Tails was actually alive, only to be tortured and killed in front of me, just like how he died here in Red Gate City. I bet Eggman ordered him to make my life even more miserable since Tails was gone."

Shadow suddenly did a double take, to which Sonic failed to notice. "Hold on. Did you say he was dead?"

Green eyes narrowed as he glanced back at the Black Blur. "Yeah. It happened after I was defeated by Infinite. When I was down on the ground, I saw you, I mean, the _fake_ you, walking up to Tails who was being held by Chaos and Zavok. Then, your clone stabbed him in the chest." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "And... that was when I lost my little buddy forever."

He squeezed his eyes shut and scrunched his fists tightly, trying not to let his emotions run wild. A few seconds of silence went by before Shadow spoke.

"Sonic. I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you."

The blue hedgehog raised his head. "Tell me what?"

"First of all, where are the others?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Just tell me!" Shadow grunted.

He leaned back at his aggression. "Amy's in Chemical Plant with Savage and Raff, a couple of wolves who were recruited into the Resistance. The Chaotix joined me here to find you, but they had to help the other soldiers in the city. Knuckles is at the Resistance Headquarters with Omega, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze. As for the latter two, they're still hospitalized."

"Where are the headquarters located?"

"Just outside of Red Gate near the bridge. Again, why?"

"We need to head over there now."

Shadow started to speed skate with his shoes. Sonic dashed forward and blocked the black hedgehog. "Shadow, stop! What the heck is going on here?"

"There's something that you guys don't know, and it's critical information."

"What do you mean?"

"How long have you guys known that Infinite is a jackal?"

Sonic was puzzled, not expecting a question like that. "Um... Since the first time I saw him, I think. The others would probably know that as well."

"That's what I thought as well when I first saw him." Sonic's eyes widened at that. He then saw Shadow close his eyes and lower his head a bit, his chin barely touching the white fur on his torso. "But it turns out we were wrong."

Sonic tilted his head. "Wrong about what?"

Opening his eyelids, he replied, "We were only _under the impression_ that Infinite is a jackal. The thing is, he wasn't one in the first place."

"Huh?"

"Infinite was _transformed_ into a jackal."

"Really? Wait a second. Rouge mentioned that she fought a few of them earlier today with Knuckles, Omega, and Savage. Are the other jackals transformed, too?" he cocked an eyebrow.

"Actually, no. They're not real; they're carbon copies, just like my clone. **_(4)_** Despite the fact that they're fake, they either follow every path Infinite takes or do whatever he commands. He only created them to add more reinforcements. Kind of a cowardly motive if you ask me."

Sonic's head felt like it wanted to spin off his body. "Shadow, I hate to break it to you, but you're making this a little too difficult to comprehend. You mind simplifying things a bit?"

"If I do, you're not going to like this at all," Shadow shook his head.

"What am I not going to like?"

Shadow slightly hesitated. He was already regretting this moment. "As I said earlier, Infinite isn't a jackal. He's a different kind of animal."

Sonic still didn't fathom his point, until the words slipped out his mouth.

"All before Eggman's invasion commenced, Infinite was originally a fox... with _two tails_."

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Dun, dun, DUN._

 _How many of you expected **that**? With that being said, to answer my old poll question (the thing that Orbot and Cubot foreshadowed in Ch. 12), the secret was about **Infinite**. More specifically, his true identity. There's no reason for me to hide it anymore. Infinite is none other than **Miles 'Tails' Prower**. The question is, how was this possible?_

 _Before I answer that, I want to explain that this was the focal disparity in my rewrite compared to the original game. When I started drafting this story, I wanted Tails to be an asset rather than a liability. That didn't mean I was going to make him help out Sonic and his friends. (There's my sadistic side.) Instead of keeping Infinite as his own character, I had Tails take the role of Eggman's toughest assistant. And for the record, I am certainly not the first and only one who had this idea floating in my mind._

 _Just so we're clear, I was lying the whole time that Tails was dead. He **is** alive, but he's in a horrible position. And while I may have fooled some of you, others had a feeling that Tails was somehow alive._

 _I'm looking at you, Alexandria Prime. Beforehand, I did not want to disclose that information too soon. It wouldn't be fair to spoil it to anyone prior to the revelation. I didn't want to risk the idea that other readers will pass it along which would ruin the story for them. That is why I did not respond to some of your previous comments. I don't mean it in a hurtful way at all. I wanted it to be fair for everybody to know at the same time._

 _Anyway, when Revengeful Resistance returns, we take a look at a revised version of Episode Shadow, where the Black Blur found out about the secret behind Infinite. Please review, follow/favorite for more, and I'll see you guys next time when things might become a bit lucid in Ch. 23! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _As you see here, the second instance of Chemical Plant occurs before the Sunset Heights stage instead of taking place after Operation Big Wave. This was only used as a teaser to transition into Sonic's role where the secret was fully unveiled._

 ** _(2):_** _To be honest, I didn't know the pink liquid had a specific name for it until I searched it up. The music that plays when you're about to drown is always unnerving to listen._

 ** _(3):_** _I had to add some kind of Sonic vs. Shadow fight in here since the cutscene was mediocre to me. Starting from when Sonic found the duplicate in the city, I highlighted his name in bold to differentiate him from the real Shadow (whose name remained in normal text). That way, it can be a bit easier to tell who is who._

 ** _(4):_** _As Shadow explained, the jackals are only clones, which include the ones from the previous chapter as well as the others Rouge fought after she was recruited into the Resistance. (A lot of you who reviewed Ch. 21 ended up guessing that correctly!)_


	23. Ch 23: When the Scars Align

_A/N:_ _Over the month of January, I want to thank Silverpsy, stephanieeiche10, yorel, and BoomShakaLaka107 for leaving a favorite. Along with the last two, I also thank Caimsa138175 for following the story. And for the most recent chapter, I appreciate The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, Black Twilight Wolf, Alexandria Prime, Tiger of Darkness, MelGamingPlays, Oderus, Dayman, and Golden Eye for their reviews._

 _Now that the secret is fully unveiled, we will flashback to Episode Shadow and see what happened to the black hedgehog. It will mostly be told from Shadow's point of view. Although there are several line breaks, it'll remain in his perspective until it says it ends. And if you happen to come across this chapter without reading anything before this, I highly advise leaving this page right now to avoid spoilers!_

 _Otherwise, please enjoy!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I honestly wish Sonic Forces had a story plot along the lines of what I had or what other authors imagined. But this isn't a perfect world. Regardless, I don't own Sonic._

* * *

 **Chapter 23:** When the Scars Align

The last statement that Shadow said went into one of Sonic's ears but refused to go out of the other. It lingered inside his brain until the main message finally clicked. He felt like the whole world stopped below his shoes.

"No..." Sonic mumbled. "It... can't be..."

Shadow could only shake his head, maintaining his serious stare. "I'm completely honest here. Your fox friend is the enemy. He was the one who took you down six months ago."

Sonic felt like he was going to pass out and vomit, but he held himself in check so he wouldn't do either. Still, this was all too much for him.

The good news out of this? Tails _was_ apparently alive this whole time.

The bad news? Well, _that_ was already explained.

What made it sicker was that Sonic knew what he did prior to the revelation.

He reminisced his previous, yet limited encounters with Infinite. There were times that he despised the jackal, wanting nothing more but for him to perish. He didn't get a chance to attack Infinite until he faced him in the Mystic Jungle. Ultimately from that meeting, there was no way he could deny it or take back what he did.

He had hurt his little brother. It was unquestionably the most important promise he swore to him since the day they met, and he broke it.

"Sonic?"

He lifted his head to see Shadow. The black hedgehog wasn't the kind of person to show his own emotions. But deep down in his rock-hard soul, that rare feeling was coursing through his blood.

"I had to tell you. You deserved to know. However, the others should learn about this as well. I understand how appalling it must be considering how much he means to you."

Sonic only replied with a one-word question. "How?"

Shadow raised an eyebrow. "How, what?"

"How did this happen?" his voice was barely above a whisper. "And... how did you know about all this?"

"Do I explain how he turned into Infinite? Or should I go back to when I first met him?"

Sonic remained silent as he blinked. At the moment, he couldn't imagine what Eggman did to him. Thus, he gave him an answer. "When you first met Infinite. I'm not really ready for the other option."

Shadow understood. From here on out, he knew this was going to be tough to explain. Shutting his eyes, his visions came back to life.

"Brace yourself, Sonic. To reiterate, you're definitely not going to like this at all."

* * *

 _~Shadow's POV_

 _..._

 _~Flashback: Before Eggman's invasion_

 _..._

 _Location: Red Gate City_

At the time, it was only a month before you-know-what happened. I was busy with a task on my own, but Rouge contacted me when she and Omega were given a new mission. Of course, she had to get me involved with it.

 _"Shadow, do you read me? It's Rouge."_

 _"Yes, I hear you."_

 _"We received a report from G.U.N. that Eggman has been completely silent for so long since his last major stint of wreaking havoc. It was drawing suspicions that he might be up to something again. There is also speculation that there's an unknown base of operations that seems to be totally outside the chain of command for Eggman's army. There's a large-scale troop presence – suspiciously large for a place with no strategic value."_

 _"An unknown base? I can't imagine the doctor would do something like that without a legitimate reason. What could he be up to?"_

 _"We don't have any leads. To add more to the rumor mill, Eggman could be under a plan of development for some new weapon. I would suspect it's another souped-up mech. Then again, he can be quite unpredictable with his tactics."_

 _"Hmph. Of course. Looks like this won't be your garden-variety recon mission."_

 _"Where are you right now?"_

 _"I'm in the middle of fighting some enemies in Red Gate City. I don't know why Eggman has his underlings around here. They could be used as a distraction."_

 _"Very well. Omega and I will meet up with you. For now, you can link up with Omega on-site until we reassemble."_

 _"Fine. In the meantime, I'm getting rid of these weaklings. But just know that I'm more enough on my own. I'll handle things my way."_

 _"Funny you mentioned that because Omega had the same thought. Great minds think alike, I guess. You two go together like chili and hot dogs!"_

 _"Don't say that. It only reminds me of Faker. Now cut the chatter and get here ASAP. Over."_

I found it slightly odd that only part of the city was destroyed while the other half seemed to be just fine. It wasn't until after I got back from the Death Egg that Red Gate was entirely in shambles. After Omega and Rouge congregated with me, we finished cleaning up the rest of the bad guys in the city. We began our next task on finding the secret lair where the operations likely took place. Day by day, we were unsuccessful. But I'm not a quitter. Backing out of a mission, regardless of the difficulty, was not in my blood.

* * *

"Hey. Hey!" I snapped my fingers in front of his face. I caught him in a daze in the middle of my speech.

"H-Huh? What happened?"

"Were you not paying attention?"

"Oh, my bad. I kind of got lost after I heard the words 'chili' and 'hot dogs'. It just made me hungry."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Can I continue?"

"Yeah, sorry. Go ahead."

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Rouge came across something both intriguing and outlandish. She managed to find the hidden base and gave me the coordinates to find them by using Omega's tracker since he was doing some reconnaissance. After telling me she got snapshots of what was inside, she sent them to G.U.N and to my digital communicator. I couldn't care less about that though.

Unsurprisingly, Omega still didn't get the fucking idea of what we were supposed to do. Case in point, he tried to eradicate the entire hideout.

 _"E-123 Omega here. Extermination of the base proceeding without incident. No problems to report."_

 _"Extermination?!"_ I heard Rouge yell. _"Omega, this is supposed to be a **recon mission**! You can't go around making a big scene when you're **not** supposed to get caught!"_

I resisted the urge to slap my palm against my forehead in frustration. _"You should have known better than to send Omega alone on an op like this. He literally jumps the gun almost all the time."_

 _"Was that supposed to be a pun?"_ Rouge asked.

 _"I'm not Sonic,"_ I deadpanned.

* * *

"Wait a minute! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just let me continue, will ya?"

* * *

I refocused on my surroundings by whitewashing the Egg Pawns in the crowded alleyways. Seriously though, these losers _really_ don't know how to fight. They just stand there in pathetic stances without moving once. It's way too easy to destroy them. Like, come off with this. This isn't a tutorial for learning how to spin dash. I deserve a real challenge, but instead, I get a waste of time on my hands.

Minutes later, I received a message from Omega as soon as I got closer to the secret facility outside of Red Gate City and towards Green Hill. Something seemed strange right off the bat.

 _"Shadow, Rouge, come in! Unknown hostile presence is detected within range! Coordinates of said presence are lost! Current location unknown!"_

 _"Omega?! What's happening over there? Come in, Omega! Omega, please respond!"_ Rouge pleaded.

There was no reply from Omega as I dashed through some more dark alleys, up a loop, and onto a bumper before landing on one of the roofs. More Egg Pawns were scattered all around, but the fight was effortless as they hardly did anything. The Buzz Bombers and Badniks were more threatening, yet fighting these trash heads was also lackluster.

 _"E-123 Omega reporting back. All sensors are currently offline. Damage was sustained to parietal lobe region. Casualty report. Rouge fallen. Shadow to be eliminated!"_

 _"Omega? What was that last part?"_

I had no idea what he was saying.

 _"Omega, what the hell is going on? I demand an answer!"_ Another moment of silence took place as I elevated to a higher level. _"Omega, speak to me now!"_

 _"URK! Unidentified system intrusion. Emergency withdrawal! I am E-123 Omega! The most powerful-"_

Static and interference interrupted his last statement. I couldn't perceive what he was trying to say – if he was even saying something in the first place. Then, it was dead silence. I couldn't get in touch with Omega after that.

 _"Omega? Omega?!"_ The frustration was coming back to me as I destroyed more Egg Pawns that were in my way. _"Rouge? Can you get a hold of him?"_

 _"I'm trying, Shadow! But I can't! His line is dead on my communicator, too!"_

 _"Urgh! Damn it! This is hopeless! Where is-"_

I stopped running when I noticed a strange individual from thirty feet away. He was floating in midair. Not only that, I saw Omega with him. He was also in the air, debilitated as his eyes were unlit. The creature set him down harshly as he crashed on the ground. Narrowing my eyes, I ran up at him.

 _"Shadow?"_ Rouge spoke. But I ignored her as I approached the source.

 _"Hahaha... He says he's the most the powerful robot of all? Despicable! He's no more a challenge than the pathetic Crabmeat. As I suspected, the power is without peer. It is the ultimate strength!"_ The figure shifted his masked face from Omega to me. _"Ah, and this is quite more wonderful to see. It's a not-so-tall, dark, and brooding guest in front of me. Yes, Shadow... Shadow the Hedgehog. I've been waiting for you."_

His voice and appearance didn't intimidate me at first glance. He just looked like a short, out-of-date criminal colored in a distasteful shade of chrome.

 _"Who are you? Tell me what you did to Omega."_

 _"Heh! Weaklings like him are of no consequence. Come now, Shadow. This is our long-awaited reunion, and still, you spout such nonsense. I mean, how could you forget?"_

 _"I don't know you at all, you disgraceful imbecile. We've never met before, and the only consequence around here is that big mouth of yours. Albeit, I can't see it with that ugly mask of yours. Now, I ask you again; who are you?"_

The jackal chuckled to himself. Great, now _this_ is reminding me of Faker, except his laugh is more on the evil side. Nevertheless, it's just as irritating.

* * *

"Again, what does that supposed to mean? If you're trying to roast me, you're not doing a good job at it."

Do you see what I meant when I called this guy _irritating_?

"If you butt in one more time, I'll hurl you into the goddamn river. And no, I'm _not_ going to save you from drowning."

He made a gesture that he zipped his lips shut. As much as I can't tolerate this guy, sometimes he amused me. _Sometimes,_ just to stress that out.

* * *

 _"I guess you don't know a single thing. Maybe being stuck up in the Space Colony ARK really proved to be a devastating experience for you, since it's clear that your memories are completely fuzzy."_

I blinked to myself. How did he know all about that? It didn't make sense to me.

 _"Tell me, did you forget all about Maria as well?"_

Out of impulse, I rushed forward to attack him. However, the jackal flew to the side in a quick motion. I was genuinely baffled. He somehow managed to evade my attack. He was almost as fast as Sonic. If not, _faster_. I tried to spin dash him and used my abilities to throw him down, yet he somehow prevailed. Being too far and high to reach, he continued to cackle, further angering me.

 _"I'm going to ask you this for the last time. Who are you?!"_

 _"Since you're dying to know, the name is Infinite. You say you don't know me, and yet I remember you so very well. To you and maybe your acquaintances, you're simply another annoying individual in a long list of people who are against Dr. Eggman. You would easily tear down one of his bases without a second thought."_

 _"Of course I would do that. I don't work for the guy, and I don't accept his ways of taking over Mobius. After all, I'm supposed to be one of the few to protect mankind rather than let it be destroyed for all eternity."_

 _"Yes, I recall that was something along the lines of what Maria wanted before she sacrificed her life for you."_

I growled. _"How do you even know about her?"_

 _"There are many things that I know that you'd be surprised if I told you, including the big secret about myself."_

 _"And what would that be?"_

 _"Pfft. Are you serious? If I explained it to you, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. Duh!"_

I was _so_ tempted to punch this fucker in the face.

 _"However, I will say that I'm stronger than before, more than what I used to be so I wouldn't be called a weakling, a coward, or even a freak."_

For the record, the thought of him being Tails was nowhere in my mind at the time. _"Do people call you those things because of your ugly face? Is that why you're concealing it?"_

 _"NO!"_ I had never seen him react like that before. Back then, I thought, 'Did I strike a nerve or something?' _"It was because of something else, but it's too personal to me! And it would give away the secret! Regardless, I'm stronger and more powerful now. It simply means that the old me was too weak, too pathetic to remember or do anything. And I'm not afraid to admit it. From this point onward, I shall reign as the most powerful creature to ever live, more than both you and even Sonic combined!"_

 _"So, you know Sonic as well?"_ To be frank, I didn't know what the guy was doing. But it's not like I actually gave a damn.

 _"Oh, absolutely. I know him a **whole** lot."_ Little did I know that was the truth. _"For now, you have become nothing more than an insect, waiting to be crushed underfoot."_

 _"What makes you say that?"_

 _"Thanks to this limitless power I have obtained from my creator, I have become unstoppable! You shall witness what I can be capable of! Take THIS!"_

I was the Ultimate Lifeform, and I'm proven to be fast. But this was a moment where I hated to say that I was actually slow.

 _"URGH!"_

Infinite cast a cloud of some weird, red stuff at me. I wasn't able to block it. And the next thing I knew, I felt a fist against my face. **_(1)_**

* * *

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

 _"Ugh... What happened? Where am I?"_

When I opened my eyes, I found myself at Green Hill. Besides the usual grass and trees, the sand and pyramids were visible from far away. I looked down to see my communicator blinking. Turning it back on, I heard Rouge screaming through the microphone.

 _"Shadow?! Shadow! Do you read me?"_

 _"Calm down, I'm here."_

 _"How can I calm down when you weren't responding to me for over an hour?!"_

 _"Wait, has it been that long?"_

 _" **Yes** , it has!" _she grunted. _"Why didn't you respond?!"_

 _"Look, I'm sorry. I got sidetracked with something."_

 _"Sidetracked with what? First Omega, now you... What is going on?!"_

I didn't answer her question as I noticed a strange noise. _"Is that him?"_

 _"Who's 'him'?"_

 _"What happened to Infinite?"_ I continued talking to myself.

 _"Huh? Infinite? What are you mumbling about? Shadow, are you okay?"_

Just then, another cloud of red flew towards me. I skid off to the side, and Infinite appeared from above. He landed a fist on the ground before he got up and chased after me. But I didn't run away. I fought. I tried to punch, kick, spin dash, just about anything to do some physical damage against this bastard. Getting hits on him wasn't enough though. Since he seemed sensitive, it was probably best for me to get underneath his skin. I managed to pin him down when he was off balance.

 _"Worthless. You really think you're strong to take on me? Even Orbot and Cubot are tougher than what you've shown. If anything, you weren't even trying. You are nothing but weak."_

 _"You... I... ARGH! **You** are calling **me** WEAK?! You ungrateful twerp! I... I AM NOT WEAK! I'M NOT!"_

 _"If you're not weak, then why are your hands shaking?"_ I had his number.

 _"SHUT UP! I told you! I... am not... WEAK!"_

Instantaneously, I retracted my last thought.

Unexpectedly, a blast came from his torso. I flew backward and landed near a gaping pit. Infinite got up and soared away from me, leaving trails of red cubes over the hills. When I touched one of them, it stung. The feeling was like getting burned by fire. I had to be a bit more cautious, which was not my style.

 _"Hey! Get back here!"_ I rushed after him.

 _"Hello? Anybody home?"_ Rouge called. _"Shadow, I'm going to find Omega – he was beaten down over three months ago. You're not banged up, are you? Get it together, Shadow!"_

 _"He is the perpetrator who deactivated him,"_ I confirmed to her, only to realize the contradiction in her statement. **_"Wait a minute... Three months? That doesn't make sense."_**

 _"Shadow?"_

 _"This has to be where Omega was before he got destroyed. Why isn't he here now? I don't see him!"_

 _"I swear to Chaos, Shadow. Your mind **must** be messed up right now. Omega isn't disabled!"_

 _"Rouge, don't mince words with me. You told me he was destroyed three months ago. And now you're telling me that he never was affected! Why are you confusing me?!"_

 _"Shadow. I can affirm I am alright. I have never known d-de-defeat!"_ Omega randomly contacted me.

 _"What the? Omega?! I thought-"_

 _"Trust me. I am not defeated. I am NOT. I-I... I am not weak. I AM NOT WEAK. I AM NOT WEAK! I AM NOT WEAK! I..."_ The radio connection was lost again.

 _"Omega! Omega!"_ My head started to spin for some reason. _"Ow... What is going on?! Why is this happening?!"_

I almost got hit by those cubes as I was unfocused. Scaling through metal platforms, I avoided the red trails and made my way towards the desert terrain. Tons of Egg Pawns and Badniks were scattered all over the pale grass, so I obliterated them. I remained on the hunt for Infinite.

 _"Come back here, you coward! If you want to attest yourself, start by not running away from- UGH!"_ After landing on the ground, I got picked up by a strange force. Looking up, I saw Infinite leering through the lonely hole in his mask. _"You better release me right now! This isn't funny!"_

 _"Hahaha! Oh, Shadow, what are you talking about? This is a truly wonderful show to me. But I will agree, this isn't funny. Especially with what's behind you."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _"Shadow..."_

I widened my eyes when I heard a voice. It was from a girl. And I knew where it came from. It was _very_ distinct.

Since I was restrained, Infinite swiveled me around. And that's when I saw her. I couldn't believe my eyes. It felt too real. She was right there, standing inches in front of me.

 _"Maria?"_

 _"Shadow... You're here,"_ she showed that innocent, yet familiar smile of hers. It didn't register in my head for a while. Trust me, I didn't show it on my face. Deep inside, however, I was... happy. I never thought I would ever use that word again. Now, I had a reason.

 _"Maria... Is that you?"_

 _"Yes, it's me."_

 _"W-What are you doing here?"_

 _"Shadow, I've come back."_

 _"I don't understand. How is that possible?"_

 _"That doesn't matter, Shadow. What does, however, is that I'm here for you."_

 _"Maria. That's wonderful."_

It was actually peaceful for a minute or so. She kept grinning from cheek to cheek.

 _"Shadow, I- AAHHH!"_

All of a sudden, the reality turned into a nightmare. A bullet shot through her shoulder. Behind her was a group of G.U.N. soldiers, one of whom had a weapon pointed right at the spot that bled profusely. The look on her face was of utter shock and despair.

For some reason, I couldn't speak. I was both shocked and devastated at the sight. It reminded me of that moment on the Space Colony prior to when she set me free from those heartless delinquents.

I found my voice after a long pause. _"Maria! Maria!"_ As I screamed her name, Infinite was evilly chuckling from behind.

 _"Sh-Shadow... D-Don't... forget... about me..."_ She immediately fell limp.

 _"MARIA!"_

The sound of another bullet escaped from one of the guns, shooting directly at my face as the force field disintegrated.

* * *

I woke up in a flash. My head was dazed and spinning. It felt like I was going to pass out again.

 _"Ngh... What? Where? Huh?"_ I found myself back in the base with Infinite hovering in front of me and Omega still incapacitated on the ground. _"I'm... back here? No. What the... Was that an illusion?!"_

 _"This is reality, Shadow._ **_Virtual Reality._** _Yours in particular. Heh, I didn't expect to see you come back alive, to be honest. But you must admit, it was a truly wonderful show, wasn't it?"_ he repeated that phrase. _"Why, I've never seen you become so scared at all!"_

 _"I wasn't scared,"_ I clenched my teeth.

 _"Beg to differ."_

 _"Enough of this bullshit! How dare you do that to me?!"_

 _"Hahaha! Oh, this power, before we've even tuned it! Just as I thought, it is unrivaled! Now that I know that you were fruitless, Sonic or the others won't last a second to stand against me! HAHAHAHAHA!"_

 _"Sonic? Against you?! What exactly are you plotting?!"_

 _"Maybe you'll find out sooner or later. Or maybe never..."_

I had enough of this creep, so I ran up to him when he was busy daydreaming. I delivered an uppercut to his chin that his mask actually came off his head.

And that's when I saw his face.

 _Tails'_ face.

 _"No way..."_

His fur was not the usual yellow-orange color that I knew. However, his other features were easily recognizable, even when he was a completely different animal and not a fox. The pointed ears, the three bangs on his forehead, the eyes... Chaos, where do I even go from there? Without the mask, his left eye was a dull shade of gray. But his right... The eyelid was completely scathed in scars. If you thought that was bad, don't leave out the _single_ _tail_ behind him. Yeah, you know how he had two of them that made him so unique? Now he's like any ordinary animal, and I strangely find it both vile and unnatural.

My mind was still trying to process all this. He was an eight-year-old kid with a nerdy attitude and was considered to be book smart yet reliable. Then out of nowhere, he became Eggman's latest assassin, only stronger, smarter, and more powerful than he was normally. The doctor must have tortured Tails to transform his soul into this demon.

I was in utter shock. He, on the other hand, was completely irate.

 _"You son of a... You **weren't** supposed to do that!"_

He was so mad that he didn't bother putting the mask back on. He trapped me in another force field, only in _actual_ reality. He followed up by teleporting into the barrier and battering every part of my body. I was so weakened and overwhelmed that I didn't have the energy to fight back. As soon as I was knocked out, Rouge kept yelling through my speaker, begging to hear from me. I was unable to contact her back after Infinite destroyed my communicator. I couldn't believe that I failed.

Going off from what Infinite, or rather Tails, mentioned, it took me sooner rather than later to find out about the secret. Although, it took me months to actually reveal the truth.

 _~End of POV and flashback_

* * *

Once Shadow finished without any other disruptions, Sonic slumped his shoulders. He was completely speechless throughout his storytelling. Even though his heart returned to beating normally, he felt nothing inside.

The more he thought about Infinite, his mind defaulted to Tails. When he was thinking about his little brother, his hands clenched at the notion of how Eggman managed to get a hold of him. Then, his mind went numb as he imagined how much torture Tails must have experienced to change into Infinite. He also believed that Eggman was sick to make him the main reason why the entire planet had fallen to pieces.

Sonic's fists shook. He wanted to find the closest thing near him and repeatedly punch it to let out his pent-up anger. Albeit, that would be Shadow, and he didn't deserve it.

If only it was his lifelong nemesis. He was the true reason why all this transpired.

Several minutes flew by. It took a while for him to muster up a question as curiosity killed the blue hedgehog.

"What happened to you after that?"

The black hedgehog opened his eyes, staring down at the broken rubble. "I was put into a coma before I was taken to the Death Egg. They kept me in a separate prison room, far away from where you and the other prisoners were held. After regaining consciousness and part of my memory, I snuck through the fortress to do some investigating on Eggman's plans. Knowing how weak his robots were, it was pathetically simple to navigate. But when the alarms went off, I had to be quick to escape in case Infinite, Eggman or anyone else encountered me. Just before that, I ran into Eggman's main control unit and stole a flash drive from his computer," he took out a small USB device from his quills.

"That's what you took?"

"Yes. I had to hope that he had some vital information in here. And there was."

"What is it?"

"Going back to that fake Shadow you fought, not only has Infinite recreated your past enemies, but he can also create unlimited numbers of those clones."

Sonic had a face full of disgust and shock. "What? So, fight after fight, this fre-"

He _barely_ caught himself almost saying the one word that tormented Tails' childhood. Sonic knew better not to associate that term to his friend, even if he was... well, you know.

"You're saying that-" his voice softened, "- _he_ can just keep cranking out counterfeits? Multiple ones, or rather an _infinite_ amount of them?"

"Exactly," Shadow nodded at him.

"No wonder my friends and I keep seeing them too many times! Rouge and Omega said that they fought you last night, but you were somehow gone before they could get a chance to talk to you. That meant that they fought another clone of yourself!"

"The doctor specifically ordered Infinite to create a clone to pose as me, trying to convince you and the others that I switched sides. He can create clones of anyone, not just foes. The fake jackals were created to brush off the idea that Eggman only relied on your well-known foes from the past to cause complete disorder. The Maria from my Virtual Reality was there to make me lose focus."

"I see. I kind of felt the same way when a Tails clone came up to me."

"You fought a fake Tails?"

Sonic nodded. "In Mystic Jungle. Infinite gave Silver and Blaze a piece of Virtual Reality before I could save them. After that, Tails... I mean, the Tails clone appeared. And he was roboticized. I was forced to fight him, but I'm kind of glad now that it wasn't him. But since you said that he's _actually_ Infinite, I realized that I broke my promise to him. I managed to hurt him with a few punches before he could kill Silver and Blaze."

"In your defense though, you didn't know until I told you."

"Regardless, I'm guilty of it."

"Don't try to pin all of this on yourself," Shadow tried to be empathetic.

More silence filled the stuffy air in Red Gate.

"So, how did you return to Mobius?"

"I was able to steal a shuttle from a laboratory in the Death Egg. **_(2)_** There was a computer installed inside, which was how I managed to discover the information stored in this flash drive. Once I landed, everything I saw was a tragedy that befell upon my eyes. The world has completely changed since I last stood here. From the way things looked, I had the thought that there was no way we can win this war."

"At least you're fighting for peace. Now I _truly_ know you're the real Shadow!" Sonic gave a wink and a thumbs-up. "I know this is from me, but I just have this feeling we can somehow overcome this! We always do it against Eggman! We just haven't figured that part out yet."

"Hmm... It'll take some time to actually come up with a big plan. The first thing I prioritized was to find you or anyone of the Resistance."

"I'm just glad to know what happened to you and why I saw another Shadow recently. I'm sorry I ever doubted you. But as much as I don't want to hear it, there's the other question you mentioned. How did Tails become Infinite?"

"Well, you see-" Before Shadow could answer, Sonic's communicator ran out loud. "Who is that?"

He didn't know until he answered the call. "Hello?"

"Sonic!" It was Amy on the other end. "We have horrible news! Where are you?"

"Is the news about Infinite?" he ignored her question.

"Um, what?"

"Is this about Infinite?"

Amy was speechless for a few seconds as a different voice was heard. "Sonic, it's Savage. We just left Chemical Plant to return to home base. We discovered a shocking secret in the database that Raff hacked in."

"Do you know the secret, too?"

"Um, it depends if it's the same."

"Does it involve Infinite?"

Sonic heard a small gulp over the speaker. "Yes..." Savage hesitated.

"Hey, Sonic, what's going on?" Raff spoke up. "Are you sure you're thinking of the same thing?"

"I bet I am. I'm with the real Shadow near Sunset Heights."

"The real Shadow? What are you talking about?"

The black hedgehog stepped over to speak into the microphone of Sonic's communicator. "If you're going back to your hideout, we're going there now. I'll explain everything there."

"Sonic," Amy interrupted, "is that really him? What if it's a trap? How do we know he's not really working for Eggman?"

"Kind of hard to explain, Ames. Just don't stress over it and get back to the HQ. And don't worry about me."

"But, Sonic-"

"Just trust me."

A long sigh came from the pink hedgehog. "Fine. We'll see you soon."

"You better not be playing tricks here," Savage told them.

"We're not," Shadow muttered as Sonic turned the device off. "Well, since you know where the base is located, take me there now."

"I will. I gotta call the Chaotix because they might haven't left the city yet." It took a couple of minutes, but Sonic explained to Espio to retreat as soon as possible with Vector and Charmy. When the chameleon confirmed, Sonic returned his gaze at Shadow. "Alright. I think we're all set. But I'm gonna warn you. Rouge and Omega will probably be worried sick and angry at you. Actually, I don't know if Omega can exhibit those feelings. Either way, Rouge might not take your unexpected welcome seriously, and neither will the rest of the gang. They really thought you deceived us by joining Eggman's forces."

"Then I'm going to confront all of them and say that I never intended to confuse or make them mad. It's not my fault the doctor wanted Tails to create a fake me to try to ruin my reputation. However, maybe there's a sliver of hope that we can get him back. We just have to figure out how."

Sonic took in a deep breath and exhaled through his nose. With a determined look, he nodded at his black-furred counterpart before they dashed away.

On top of saving the world, Sonic's other top priority was to get Tails out of Eggman's control. But first, he and Shadow had some serious business to take care of before either of them could continue with their perilous journey.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Here we have my revamped version of Episode Shadow that took place prior to the rise of the Eggman Empire. I hope some of this makes sense to you. From this point, the stakes have become much higher to defeat the evil doctor. For Sonic, it will be a gruesome grind to the finish as he now knows the truth behind Infinite... like literally behind that one-eyed mask of his._

 _Yet the main question is (since I still left it unanswered), how did Tails become Infinite in the first place? That question will be revealed next time. In Ch. 24 of Revengeful Resistance, we will take a look at what Savage, Amy, and Raff discovered in Chemical Plant. Shadow will also have to deal with the Resistance and their trust. Until then, please review your thoughts below, follow/favorite for more updates, and I'll see you until the next one! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Before the Virtual Reality level, the game transitioned to another flashback to give a backstory on Shadow and Infinite's first encounter. In summary, the former annihilated the Jackal Squad and Eggman's facility in Mystic Jungle (which took place a month before Shadow met Infinite the second time). Infinite, who was originally known as 'The Ultimate Mercenary', became enraged when he killed the other jackals and was called pathetic after being defeated. With the Phantom Ruby transfused into his body, he became more powerful to defeat Sonic._

 _However, my version of the story would not correspond with this timeline because I made Tails take over this role. Secondly, he was inferred to be missing a week before the Red Gate invasion (all the way back in Ch. 2). Not only that, but there was a small amount of time between the moment when Tails got transformed into Infinite to when he met with Shadow in the secret base. Neither the Mystic Jungle level and cutscene nor the original Jackal Squad have any significance to my rewrite. Therefore, I did not include any of it here._

 ** _(2):_** _This explains Shadow's absence over the six-month period when Eggman took over Mobius. It also reveals that he was the one who escaped the Death Egg in Ch. 20._


	24. Ch 24: The Eggman Catalogues

_A/N:_ _I'm back with another chapter! Thanks to everyone out there for reading, leaving a review, and being patient since the last update. We're finally going to get into the backstory of how Eggman managed to conquer Mobius from the help of his special 'jackal' assistant. With that being said, let's get right into it!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer;_ _There are reasons why I didn't put a K or a K+ rating for this rewritten work of Sonic Forces. I still don't own the games, characters, or franchise._

* * *

 **Chapter 24:** The Eggman Catalogues

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Rouge was leaning against the main control panel while Omega stood beside her, shifting his head as his eyes were focused on Knuckles. The Commander impatiently paced back and forth in front of the large computer, his arms held behind his back and his face scrunched up. They were all waiting for their friends who called them earlier about an urgent update.

"Knux," Rouge spoke up, "I know you're feeling a bit tense, but I'm sure they'll be back soon."

The echidna stopped to face her. "I'm not worried about them returning." Rouge gave him a look. "I mean, of course I'm concerned about their safety. What I meant was that when Amy was talking, her voice sounded hesitant. It made me think that something's either fishy or gone wrong. Do you know what I mean?"

"I guess so. Still, you might be overthinking too much."

"Postulations will never get us anywhere. Only the facts will create a better understanding of what is occurring and what to do about it," said Omega.

Before Knuckles could say anything, the green hedgehog medic, Greg, entered the computer room. "Commander, we have a report on Silver the Hedgehog and Blaze the Cat. Both have recovered from their trauma and injuries. They are also able to walk and stand freely."

"At least there's some good news," he gratefully sighed. "Tell them to report here. We have another assembly to take care of."

"Yes, sir," he replied before heading back to the infirmary. In a few minutes, the white-furred hedgehog and the purple feline made their way to Knuckles.

"Great to see you guys up and running again. How do you feel?"

"Much better, thanks," Blaze appreciated. "Greg said you wanted us to see you."

"Right. The others should be here momentarily. Apparently, Amy and the Rookies found something in Chemical Plant."

"What did they find?" Silver asked.

The main entrance opened up, pausing Knuckles from giving an answer. Amy, Savage, and Raff entered inside and saw Silver and Blaze back to full health. Then, the Chaotix and Sonic appeared two minutes later. But everyone was surprised to see a particular somebody behind the group.

"Shadow?!"

"Believe us, we were surprised to see him, too," said Charmy.

The black hedgehog stepped into the HQ when everyone else got settled. For Rouge, a spark lit up. She furiously stomped her boots over to him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Long time, no see, Rouge," he blatantly responded.

"Cut the overused catchphrase, for Chaos' sake. Do you know what you've done beforehand?!"

"Rouge, let me exp-"

The bat suddenly slapped him across his left cheek. The others either gasped or stared with huge eyes at her action. Shadow silently hissed from the pain, yet he kind of expected that from her.

"I see you've gotten stronger," he sarcastically spat.

"Don't toy with me. What are you doing here? I thought you left us to fight on Eggman's side."

"Rouge, wait," Sonic tried to get her attention, only to be ignored as she was fixated on Shadow.

"I've been searching for you for the past six fucking months without any sort of luck. And now you're suddenly back as you look like nothing's gone wrong in Mobius?"

"Rouge," Sonic echoed. Although he was getting annoyed, Shadow let her continue to vent.

"You contributed into the destruction of this planet by taking down Sonic, who had been tortured and living alone in the Death Egg during that same time period. Meanwhile, the rest of us struggled to survive against Eggman's legion! Not to mention, so many innocent animals died by risking their lives to fight you and every other bastard on the dark side! How could you betray us? How could you betray Omega and me?!"

Shadow didn't flinch once throughout her entire tirade. He saw her getting close on the brink of tears. Soon after, he closed his eyes and lowered his head. "You don't know what happened."

Rouge, wheezing and catching her breath, stared at him. "What?"

A glare shot right at her. "You don't know the truth. None of you do. Except Sonic."

"Don't forget about us," Savage mumbled.

Everyone else's eyes turned to the cobalt hero. "Believe me, guys. He told me everything. When the Chaotix were fighting the robots, I was in Sunset Heights and found him. Actually, I found a clone of him." That got everyone's attention. "You see, I was fighting a fake version of Shadow before he saved me," he referred to the real Black Blur. "That's when he told me everything, including the dark secret that none of us knew."

"What dark secret?" questioned Knuckles.

"About Tails," Shadow muttered.

"Tails? But he's dead," Blaze shook her head.

"That's what we all thought, including me. After I lost connection with Rouge, 'Infinite' took me to the Death Egg where I fell into a coma. That transpired before Sonic's loss in Red Gate. I finally woke up and broke out of my prison. And when I searched for answers, I found out the truth."

"The truth?" Rouge reiterated.

"Tails got transformed into Infinite. He became the Ultimate Mercenary. He helped Eggman defeat Sonic and build his empire."

Everyone but Sonic, Savage, Amy, and Raff was stunned.

"Is... Is this true?" Espio hesitated.

"I'm not lying to you. I told Sonic everything. And from what we heard, we presume they found something related to that," he pointed at Amy, Raff, and Savage.

"We did. In Chemical Plant, we hacked into the database and saw pictures of Infinite, who is none other than Tails," Raff confirmed.

"B-But how?" Silver stuttered. "How did he become Infinite?"

"I think you might want to look at the evidence," Savage suggested. "Not only were there pictures, but Eggman kept a journal log of his progress."

"Interesting. I didn't find that on the flash drive I stole."

"What exactly did he write?" Knuckles asked.

"I'd recommend seeing for yourself rather than have us explain the details," the teenage wolf told him.

"Sonic, I'm going to say this in advance since you know Tails the most," Amy cautioned. "What we read and saw in the database was horrific. If you don't think you can handle it, I won't blame you. I'm just unsure if you're okay with this."

"No," Sonic quickly denied. "I want to see for myself."

Amy sighed before nodding her head. "Guys," she gestured to the wolves.

Raff went up to the computer with a compact disc. With his technical skills, he was able to burn the data into it. After inserting the disc, the control panel loaded up on the large screen. Raff clicked on the main folder.

"Here it is. Project Infinite," he opened the first file.

"As a heads up, this entry wasn't in the original folder," Amy explained. "This was written over a year ago, right after the Lost Hex was back to its former state. We're only showing this for context."

"This should be interesting," Knuckles whispered as everyone began reading.

...

 _~October 18 **(1)**_

 _It happened again! AGAIN!_

 _That blasted hedgehog always gets in my way! I can't stand him! Whenever I'm so close to building my utopia or defeating him, he finds a way to beat me! It's frustrating how he keeps winning for the past several years! And just recently, Sonic and that two-tailed creep of a friend were practically gloating when I couldn't kill him with my Eggrobo! To add more to the laughingstock, half my mustache was gone!_

 _Grr... I'm so pissed off right now. I'm going to make sure I show him no mercy the next time I pop out of nowhere. But for now, I need to remain out of the picture. Besides, all this raging is making me hungry._

...

"Man, Dr. Eggman sure sounded desperate for revenge," Vector commented.

"It's no wonder why he's so belligerent compared to every other encounter we had," Espio crossed his arms.

Despite not opening his mouth, Sonic clenched his teeth. _"How dare he calls Tails a creep?"_ To him, it was as insulting as the 'f' word.

Charmy flew near the wolves. "What does the next entry say?"

"Here. This was written exactly a month before the infamous Red Gate invasion," said Raff.

...

 _~April 7_

 _I decided to do some scavenging for the Chaos Emeralds. I've had past opportunities to use all seven of them to my benefit, but things always go awry for me. Still, I needed their source of power._

 _My robots and I secretly invaded Angel Island. Knowing that gullible echidna is too busy looking after the Master Emerald, getting caught wouldn't be that problematic. In the deep forest, they were digging around for any of the Emeralds. However, one managed to find something... intriguing. It didn't look like a Chaos Emerald. It was kind of pink with some black lines all around it. The shape was unusual, too. When I touched it, that was when something strange happened._

 _Seconds after I made contact, I found myself in this weird dimension. And to my surprise, I saw something I didn't expect – myself. I was fighting Sonic. Well, an alternate version of myself was doing the work. I just stood there and stared. What made it bizarre was that I was **winning** against him, whereas Sonic was on the other side of the spectrum. I also saw his other friends lying around in defeat. With a large robot, my alternate self was about to deal the final blow to him. But before that occurred, I was back in the present. The jewel started burning my hand that I dropped it on the ground._

 _I was disappointed that I didn't get to witness Sonic officially losing. Then, after giving it some thought, I realized that this strange jewel could be as, if not more, powerful than the Chaos Emeralds. More importantly, it could be beneficial for my future ploy. I decided to head back to my secret lair to examine the science behind this thing. If it meant that I could finally end Sonic once and for all, then it would be worth my time._

...

"Well, Knucklehead, you sure did a fine job on Angel Island back then," Rouge put a hand on her hip.

"Oh, shut up! How was I supposed to know he was there?!"

"You could've been more observant and reliable with your security duties, but I guess the best you've done was lie on your ass in front of the Master Emerald every day. To think, how did you even become the Commander of the Resistance if laziness is one of your limited traits?"

"Rouge, I swear to Chaos, I'm gonna break your fucking neck if you don't zip it!"

Amy slammed her Piko Piko Hammer right in front of the bickering twosome. "I'll make sure to slam your heads into the ground if _both of you_ won't shut up! Now pay attention!"

Setting their argument aside, Knuckles and Rouge gave each other some space. Raff and Savage both sighed heavily before they drew everyone to the next entry, two weeks after the last one.

...

 _~April 21_

 _I was able to tap into the powers by recreating prototypes of the jewel. I even decided to give it a name. From here on out, I shall call this the Phantom Ruby, a special jewel that can create illusions and mess with people's perceptions of the world around them, encasing them in a false world of trauma and deception. That, I will label as Virtual Reality. It may not sound original, but it's fitting._

 _My only concern about it is that I don't have a clue what to do with it. All I can do is visualize the illusion just from touching it. However, that alone would burn me like before. Maybe if I can get someone else to utilize its special powers, I wouldn't have to deal with that issue. The question is, who would be the most ideal host to experiment with the Phantom Ruby?_

 _I got it. I have made my decision. There's no other option that's better._

 _Who would hurt the most out of Sonic than his so-called **little brother**?_

 _Looking back, I technically had Tails once with a mind control beam in my space amusement park. Even though I directed the ray at Sonic, he took the hit. Either way, it would've induced a spectacular fight between the two. But inconveniently, I ran out of alien energy as the fox turned back to normal. Then, at the Lost Hex, Sonic was in another scenario where he could've been captured and roboticized by the Zeti if Tails didn't save him. He was fortunate to not suffer that fate and reunite with Sonic, who had to ruin Eggrobo as I mentioned before._

 _But this time... Hohoho... This time, the little freak will be stuck under control without any impediments!_

 _When the time is right, I will have him in my grasp, and I will begin my master plan to officially ruin my lifelong nemesis. This is only the start of my new scheme –Project Infinite – and I will make sure it'll come into fruition. **(2)**_

 _Ready or not, Sonic the Hedgehog, here I come._

...

"I don't believe it," Blaze gasped. "This is so twisted of Eggman to devise all of this."

"And yet, none of us knew about it until just now," Silver growled.

Sonic remained both silent and furious after reading the journal. Amy glanced to her side, worried about him and how it only gets worse from here.

"Can I switch to the next log?" Raff received nods from everyone as he revealed Journal #4.

...

 _~April 30_

 _Thanks to one of my robot spies, I was able to find out that Tails was heading off on his own without Sonic. At the right moment, I was able to kidnap him without anyone noticing. After taking him to my secret lair outside of Red Gate City, I told him how he will be the key piece to my ultimate proposal. Of course, he refused to work for me, nor was he on board to trounce his annoying, blue-furred partner. But I didn't give him a choice. I wanted to get right down to business._

 _So, I tortured him. I ordered my robots to lash him with whips. I gave him a collar and shocked him whenever he didn't obey me. I shot him in his right eye with a laser when he tried to retaliate. He's lucky I made him a mask to cover it up along with the rest of his face._

 _My final step was to transfuse the Phantom Ruby into his body. Since I don't want his identity to be recognized, I manipulated the Ruby to turn him into another figure: a jackal. Adding onto this, I have a cover-up story that will convince the others that their little fox friend is dead. However, in actual reality, he'll be the Ultimate Mercenary for my new army. I stared at my subject inside the tank, waiting for the Phantom Ruby to copiously give him the strength he will eventually use to destroy Sonic._

 _Project Infinite was one step closer to being finished. The next phase of my plan will put him to the test to see if everything will be in my favor._

...

 _"Tails... Why you?"_

Deep down, Sonic's stomach started to stir. He felt like he was going to faint after imagining all the unforgiving things Eggman did to his little buddy. He hated the thought of seeing him getting hurt. Just from what the journal described, it was as dreadful as Shadow's description. Amy instantly noticed the pale look on his face that she gave him a chair to sit down. He quietly thanked her; nonetheless, he still wasn't happy.

It also didn't help when Raff paused from the journals to show everyone the photos. The red wolf revealed the very first picture of Tails. He was alone in a prison cell with chains and cuffs around his wrists, shins, and signature tails. The next one showed all the pain and torture he suffered from Eggman and his robots, ranging from deep cuts on his cheeks to bruises all over his battered stomach, to the aforementioned scar on his eye...

"I think I'm going to be sick," Charmy gagged.

"Glad I'm not the only one who's appalled by this," Rouge had that same, sinking feeling.

"I think it's safe to say that we're all disgusted. But as much as it's painful to see Tails like this, it's more sickening that Eggman would do this to him," Knuckles replied, to which everyone concurred.

Then, another photo surfaced onto the big screen, showing an explicit side-by-side comparison of Tails, before and after his transformation. On the left was the same, poor fox who got beaten up, similar to every time his childhood bullies besieged him. On the right was Tails in his new jackal form. Although the scars and bruises faded away, the Phantom Ruby was fused into his chest with a frightening glow, the left pupil was uncomfortably visible through the only eyehole of the mask, locks of white hair flowed behind his head, and a lonely tail with white tips protruded from his back. It was creepy to see the contrast of the two photos, yet both featured the same person.

Silver was speechless. "I... I don't know what to say."

"I mean, what else is there to talk about?" Raff mumbled. "It's not only mind-blowing, but it's also tragic."

"Can you please take those pictures down? I'm going to start having nightmares soon if I keep staring at them," Blaze pleaded.

Savage fulfilled her request. "There's still a few more logs to look at. Eggman included Shadow's name in this next one. At first, it looked suspicious and confusing. But after Sonic told us that he was with the real one, it made sense to us once we realized that the Shadow on Eggman's side was a clone. Raff?"

His brother nodded as he opened the next file.

...

 _~May 2_

 _It had only been a few days since the birth of my latest creation, and he finished practicing his abilities that I sent him out to cause trouble. **(3)** Speaking of which, that was what I ran into. Shadow and his damn government team were on the hunt for me. Sooner or later, they'll find out about everything. I couldn't let them spoil it immediately._

 _I ordered my slave to eradicate Team Dark. He managed to disable Omega, and soon after he got Shadow. Although the bat lives, I couldn't risk having Shadow here knowing that he has some relations to Sonic. Thus, I imprisoned him in the Death Egg. Additionally, I injected a drug to keep him comatose for an indefinite period of time. I don't know when he'll wake up. But what's important is that he won't tell Sonic or anyone else about my plan._

...

"Fucking bastard..." Shadow swore. He saw Sonic glaring at him from the corner of his eye. "You know I meant Eggman, not Tails."

His rival didn't respond. Sonic and the others read the next entry, transcribed after a critical point that made history in Mobius.

...

 _~May 7_

 _Today is the best day ever! Why is that? That's easy to answer!_

 _Sonic the Hedgehog has finally lost!_

 _To explain, I had the Egg Pawns and Badniks wander in Green Hill Zone to lure Sonic into Red Gate City while everyone else was dealing with enemies of their own. I needed to make sure that he was isolated. **(4)** And thanks to Infinite, he had the clones ready to stun the cocky, little rat._

 _For the setup, I told him to forge five special guests. The first two on the list were Chaos 0 and Zavok. The other three were created to replace their real counterparts: Metal Sonic, so that my actual robot wasn't at risk for another change of batteries; Shadow, to fool Sonic and his friends that I've convinced him to join the dark side; last but not least, Tails, the one who "sacrificed" everything to break Sonic in the worst way possible. The duplicate acted just like the original, except he was more valiant than him. If I were to put the real Tails in the mix, I bet the yellow brat would do nothing but cower in fear. Either way, he'd be dead in the end. As for the clones, the red glitches and cubes probably gave it away. But if Sonic didn't notice at first glance, all the more reason to go with the flow! The fake enemies helped me script out the entire fight until the Tails duplicate feigned his death. **(5)** That's when the best part happened: Sonic was crushed – both emotionally and physically!_

 _With my archenemy whitewashed for the first time ever, I can confidently say that there is absolutely no way I will fail! None of his silly, pathetic pals will overthrow me or my future empire! And it's all thanks to his little buddy!_

 _Who's laughing now, Sonic?! Look at how the tables have turned! From now on, you and everyone else will bow down to me, the new ruler of Mobius! HOHOHOHOHO!_

...

"How complacent of him," scowled Silver.

"So, _that's_ what went down six months ago," Blaze breathed.

"All of this evidence sounds mostly viable to negate our previous assumptions throughout the war," Omega beeped.

"And this explains more about Tails. The one we saw in Red Gate wasn't real. He was just a fake to fool Sonic!" Raff clarified.

"The real Tails was the one who collaborated with Chaos, Metal, Zavok, and Shadow to send Sonic into unconsciousness, followed by his imprisonment in the Death Egg," added Savage.

"Unbelievable. We had to spend six months without Sonic while he was in solitary confinement, along with the thought where we all believed Tails was deceased," Espio stared down at the floor in disappointment.

"Now that we know that Tails is actually Infinite and the reason why the Eggman Empire has risen to the top, it makes me nauseous to think that we actually have to _fight_ him in order to have a chance to stop the doctor," groaned Vector.

"When you say it that way, it sounds like we have no other choice but to kill-"

Sonic abruptly stopped Knuckles as he stood up and recklessly knocked the chair down. "Don't... finish... that... sentence," he slowly threatened him.

The echidna didn't want him to initiate another rampage, so he didn't bother to argue or say anything at all. The headquarters remained in silence for a while as they waited for Sonic to ease his anger and move on.

"Not only did I get fooled by a fake Tails once, it happened twice."

"Twice? Since when?" Savage was confused.

"The first time was obviously when I lost six months ago, assuming that they killed Tails in front of me. The second time was when I faced a roboticized version of him in Mystic Jungle last night."

"What?" Amy blinked. "You fought a robotic Tails?" Sonic nodded at her. "But when we spied on Infinite in Green Hill, he told Eggman that he created a Metal Sonic clone."

"He must've been lying to avoid conflict with the doctor," Savage thought. "Which makes me wonder – where's the real Metal Sonic?"

"Who knows?" Charmy shrugged.

"Ahem," Raff cleared his throat. "Should I... reveal the next journal?"

No one spoke for a while until Shadow spoke up. "Keep going."

The following entries were in a different folder titled 'Rise of the Empire'. They were generally about Eggman gloating on his success of dominating the majority of Mobius and creating his ideal utopia. At times, he explained how ecstatic he was to see Sonic suffering in captivity. There was even a moment where he noted how he was somewhat pitiful to him when he couldn't stand the replaying audio of the Tails clone dying. The doctor thought six months of punishment and misery was long enough before he eradicated him. That was when things started to change.

...

 _~November 7 **(6)**_

 _This date marks the six-month anniversary of Sonic's downfall. I can't imagine how time passed by that quickly. But enough about that. Just when I thought things will remain perfect for me, guess who decided to crash the party?_

 _Sonic's friends have somehow managed to sneak into the Death Egg and deactivate my security system. What's worse was that Sonic escaped with them! Damn those meddlesome furballs! I knew I should've killed him when I had the chance! Even Infinite thought I made a mistake with that. This wasn't the first instance he talked back at me, and I bet this won't be the last._

 _So how did I respond to this? Simple. By torturing him again._

 _I brought him back to his original dungeon, chained him up, and put the shock collar on him. I left him alone for a while, telling him to be prepared. After checking with Orbot and Cubot who were cleaning the bloody mess that was made, I came back to take my fury out on him, blaming everything on him. Needless to say, my chemistry with Infinite wasn't impeccable. It was never perfect since I abducted him._

 _Once I was finished, I got rid of his chains as he stayed in his prison. I retreated to my room, thinking of any strategies to distract the Resistance so that I could employ the final part of my master plan. That is a secret to myself that I can't bear to write it down here. For now, I'll end this journal right here and resume my normal activities. Sonic may have escaped, but that doesn't mean they'll take me down or my empire, right?_

...

"That was the last journal from this folder," Raff concluded before he ejected the disc. "It was excruciating to read it again, but we thought everyone should be aware of this."

"Now that we do, we need to come up with a maneuver of our own to stop Eggman. As for Tails," Knuckles paused to look at Sonic whose gaze was directed at the floor, "we're definitely _not_ going to kill him even if he's part of the reason why we're losing this war. However, we can't let him help Eggman any longer."

"What exactly are we going to do?" Shadow faced the Commander.

"I'll think of something."

"But time is running out. We have to do something!"

"You don't think I know that?" he rebuked at Vector. "We're in dire straits. We can't be reckless. Just like before, I'm not going to send you guys out if I don't have anything planned. Worst case scenario, Eggman, his robots, or Infinite could kill us."

"Hey, Sonic? You alright?" Savage glanced.

His fists shook. Every sentence that he read made him angrier and guiltier. He wanted to face Eggman right here, right now, to get revenge on him. At the same time, he struggled to keep his emotions in check. On the verge of forming tears in his eyes, he swiftly walked out of the HQ and climbed the stairs to his dormitory without saying a word. Savage was about to follow him, but Amy, who would've done the same thing, thought it was probably for the best for him to be left alone.

"Savage, I don't think-"

"Amy, this is serious," he interrupted. "We may have gotten into a fight earlier, but we made up and became allies, even friends no less. At this point, I don't care if he rants at me. I don't care if he attacks me. I'm concerned about him."

"So am I, and so is everyone else. But shouldn't we leave him alone so he could blow off his steam? What happens if he lashes out again?"

"Dying or losing Raff is worse than him taking his anger out on me a second time," the rookie accentuated. "I'm going to talk to him, whether he likes it or not."

"Savage," Knuckles stopped him. "Listen, I won't go against your word. Just be cautious with what you say. I know from experience."

The wolf nodded at him before he exited. Everyone else either stood in reticence or stared back at the computer screen as the entries were inscribed in their heads. Even after reading everything, they still couldn't believe this was all true.

* * *

In his room, Sonic sat on the edge of his bed. His hands gripped the top of his head while his elbows rested on his knees. He didn't implode like before, but the ire was still there. He felt like he was going to cry, yet tears refused to drop from his eyes. Sonic wanted to clear his mind, except his thoughts ran back to some vital memories from the past.

...

 _"We'll also leave with one last message: looks can be deceiving. You never know the truth until it dawns upon you."_

...

He _finally_ understood what Orbot meant, as well as why he and Cubot were acting strange whenever Infinite or Tails was associated.

 _"How did I not realize it in the first place?"_ he condemned himself.

...

 _"You're not laying a finger on either him or Blaze! Now get what you deserve, asshole!"_

...

Sonic cringed. He can't forgive or forget about the time he abused Infinite. Back then, he was just a jackal who ruined his life. Looking at the situation (again), a sea of guilt drowned him. The real Tails would _never_ attack him on purpose. He was under Eggman's control. The Phantom Ruby had forced Tails to become this monster.

He had to get his little brother back. He _had_ to.

Two knocks made him jump. "Sonic?" Savage's voice was muffled outside the door.

The Blue Blur stood up from his bed and went over to open the door. He looked up to see the rookie.

"Hey."

"Hey," he repeated flatly.

"Do you mind if we talk?"

Sonic did nothing until he let out a loud sigh. "Sure. Come in."

"Thanks."

The two got situated after the hedgehog closed the door. As they sat next to each other, Savage wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Sonic raised an eyebrow before the wolf explained.

"I'm very sorry."

Sonic stared at his lap and shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's mine."

"That's not true. You did what you could. Eggman just had devious tricks up his sleeve. And you aren't to blame for what happened to Tails."

The hedgehog sighed once more. "I just don't know what to do now. I want to get my little buddy back, but not if it means I have to hurt him."

"Don't worry. I completely understand. Even though I'm not entirely confident, I've grown to learn a lot from you, Knuckles, and the rest of the squad. Now, I want to give you some advice."

"What's that?"

"Something you've told your friends to do whenever things seem like they're in distress. Keep your chin up and look forward to a brighter future. Although some find it very cliché, it's honestly better than doing nothing or giving up. Given the situation that we're currently in, don't pay attention to the fact that Tails is Infinite. Focus on Eggman and bringing his empire to shambles. And when that's done, we'll make him pay for what he did to Mobius, the innocent civilians, and your best friend."

The cobalt hero gazed at the orange wolf who gave him a serious, yet empathetic look. Then, his soul was full of determination. He may be upset and mad about all this, but Savage was right.

"Whatever it takes, Eggman is going down. And I'm going to save Tails."

* * *

 _Location: Death Egg_

"ARGHHHH!"

"I told you that you wouldn't get out of this without being punished. If you want to continue living, I suggest you obey every command I give you and avoid retaliating against me! I gave you this power, and you're damn lucky I haven't killed you yet!"

The screams of the possessed jackal continued screeching inside the dungeon. Orbot and Cubot were forced to stay and watch him endure the agony.

"Do you think Sonic has found out about it yet?" Cubot whispered to the red minion.

"I have an inkling that he has already. This is still serious business, and I have to say that I hate that we're a part of this."

"Agreed."

Eggman disciplined Infinite for the next hour before he took his leave with the robots. They isolated him in his dark, miserable prison. The jackal, who was now lying on the cold, metal floor, wheezed from the electric shocks he experienced. His arms found themselves holding onto his body while his knees bent up near his torso. Trembling to himself, he uttered a lonely word in despair.

"Sonic..."

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Holy shit. This chapter took me longer to finish than I expected, but I'm finally done with it. There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. Once again, I let my sadistic mind make the worst out of a terrible situation. Sonic and his friends are devastated to learn about the secret. The Revengeful Resistance does not have a plan at the moment to reciprocate. Eggman is tormenting his slave again. From this point forward, what lies in store for all the characters?_

 _As always, thanks for taking the time to read! Leave a favorite/follow, review down below, tell me if I need to correct any errors, and I'll see you next time for Ch. 25 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _October 18 represents the initial release date of Sonic Lost World. (Further explanation is found in PCN #6.)_

 ** _(2):_** _Twice, Sega had teased players of the idea that Sonic was forced to engage in a battle against his best friend, referenced in Sonic Colors and Lost World. I was disappointed that both games didn't capitalize on this aspect. That's why I decided to include this idea in my rewrite. (Does this sound familiar to anyone?) _

**_(3):_** _It sounds illogical to have Tails go from a prisoner to a jackal and start wreaking havoc after a couple of days' worth of training. My only excuse was that I let Tails absorb the Phantom Ruby's powers that it gave him advanced fighting skills and power. (Canonically, the ruby doesn't work that way. But bear with me.)_

 ** _(4):_** _Knuckles, Amy, and the others weren't shown until after Sonic was defeated and captured. I made this up to explain their prior absence._

 ** _(5):_** _Yes, the entire fight I wrote in Ch. 2 was scripted. That Tails clone 'died' and disappeared like the one in Ch. 17. The 'red' referred to the fake blood plus the Virtual Reality glitches on the duplicate's body._

 ** _(6):_** _This is where I included the initial release date of Sonic Forces as the time when the main bulk of the game started. Although the two most recent Sonic games were released four years apart, assume that the events took place within the past thirteen months (from when Eggman was defeated in Lost World to the current day of the story as of this chapter). That's why I didn't include years in the journal entries._


	25. Ch 25: Disorientation

_A/N:_ _I have a special shoutout to my friend, The Sensational SpiderDom321, for helping me draft the first part of this chapter. I recommend checking him out as he has his own Sonic Forces rewrite along with a couple other projects on his profile!_

 _Alongside him, I would also like to thank cyberkiller125, SharpDragonKlaw, Squidzi Galaxi, Infinite's Ruby, Tiger of Darkness, Oderus, Dayman, and Golden Eye for reviewing since the last chapter was posted._

 _Also, thank you to SharpDragonKlaw, TheSelonder, and all the other users who favorited and/or followed Revengeful Resistance since its publication._

 _With that being said, let's get right back to the story!_

 ** _*NOTE:_** ** _I re-edited this chapter to add some extra narration. Also, thank you for over 15,000 views!_**

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _I still don't own Sonic, especially not the design of the one for the movie. I mean, my God, I still need to bleach my fucking eyes after being exposed to those pictures._

* * *

 **Chapter 25:** Disorientation

 _Location: Red Gate City_

He didn't know what happened or how it happened. As soon as he woke up, he couldn't find anyone in the Resistance's headquarters. Knuckles wasn't there. Neither was Amy. The Wolf brothers were absent. _Everyone_ was nowhere to be found. His first thought in mind was that Eggman had something to do with it. He could've overslept and missed out on the daily plans, but he highly doubted it.

Now, he found himself at the top of a hill in Red Gate City. Overlooking the sight of the Death Egg Sentinels made him grit his teeth in anger and clench his fists with fury. Eggman had continued to besiege the outer limits of town. Since no one was available nor capable of taking down the large robots, he had no choice. He got into a running start and sped down the hill.

Blue streaks trailed behind as he avoided several lasers when the robots spotted him. While taking care of the Egg Pawns in his path, he jumped and dodged several pieces of rubble from the destruction of the nearby, crumbling buildings. He stopped at one point after he nearly got hit. Scowling, he resumed running down the street up until he saw another large rock come his way. Even if he ducked below or ran off to the side, he knew he wasn't going to avoid it.

Then, something helped him. To his left, he looked over to see a yellow and white blur. When the figure fully revealed himself, the blue individual was shocked yet grateful to see _him_ again.

"Tails..." he whispered.

The fox smiled with an open mouth after he destroyed the rock that nearly hit his friend. He followed up with a wink before joining the Blue Blur.

He stopped to offer a brotherly fist bump. "Buddy, I can't believe you're here."

"Well, you better believe it," Tails chuckled. "That's because I'm going to help you. Even heroes need some assistance."

Ignoring any lack of sense, Sonic gave a thumbs-up and winked back at the twin-tailed kitsune. "I would love that, especially with you right next to me!"

The Inseparable Duo traveled side by side – the hedgehog going down the road, and the fox flying in midair. They went towards the Death Egg Robots who charged more lasers. But both were too fast to stop them; or in Sonic's case, the robots were _too slow_.

Then, Sonic saw a light at the end of the tunnel. In the distance, he found the rest of the Revengeful Resistance battling a large wave of enemies. Knuckles noticed his friends and directed them to take down the Death Egg Robots, but not without a little bit of help. As Sonic and Tails ran, Savage and Raff joined them at their side. The hedgehog smirked as they got extra help. Soon after, the four had split up into two teams; Sonic and Savage were one pair while the other comprised of Raff and Tails.

The teenage wolf grabbed onto Sonic's hand as he launched his hook onto a Sentinel. As they swung in the air, the robots aimed at them. However, they couldn't lock onto the targets as they kept swaying. As the trio of Sentinels got in close proximity, Savage released Sonic, letting him fly in the air before he went into a blue circle. His speed and power were impactful to burst into one of the robots, causing it to fall into pieces.

Meanwhile, Tails held Raff by the hands as they circled over the other two Death Egg Robots. Waiting for the right time, they stared at one another before nodding. Tails let Raff go, and they transformed into their ball forms as they spin dashed into the eyes. Savage also participated by crashing into their cores. The quartet of brothers maintained this process with the remaining Sentinels until they were all vanquished. A cliché moment ensued when they landed with their backs facing the explosions (because cool guys don't look back at them).

"Way to go, guys!" Sonic gave them high-fives.

"That was great! We got rid of those Death Egg Sentinels!" Tails acknowledged.

"We would've been in huge trouble if it weren't for you. Thank Chaos you showed up at the right time!" Raff pointed out.

"I bet the others will be happy to hear about this," said Savage.

Feeling proud and accomplished, they headed back to their friends. Sonic led the way with the wolves and Tails following behind. They returned to Park Avenue where they last saw the Resistance.

Suddenly, the hedgehog immediately stopped as his shoes skidded. His eyes widened in shock and fear. The wolves paused their running as well when they looked forward, only to witness disaster in front of them.

The Resistance members – Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Amy, Blaze, Silver, Charmy, Vector, and Espio – were lying on the broken pavement. To make matters worse, they didn't appear unconscious. Blood stained their fur coats. Wounds and bruises covered their slain bodies. When they searched for pulses, they couldn't feel a thing. As for Omega, his metal body deteriorated from critical damage and rust. Anger overwhelmed Sonic to the point where he wanted to scream out loud. To his displeasure, his voice couldn't do it.

After a long period of silence, Raff was the first to speak. "How did this happen?"

"I don't know," Savage whispered before he noticed something odd. "Hey, I thought Tails was behind us?"

Sonic instantly went into panic mode as he looked around him. "Tails? Tails?! Where are you, bro?!"

"Guys, look!" Raff pointed in front of them.

Standing on higher ground were four familiar figures. **Shadow** , Metal Sonic, Zavok, and Chaos glared down at Sonic and the wolves. In the hedgehog's mind, he knew they were clones, especially **Shadow**. From what the real black hedgehog mentioned, they were only counterfeits of the real deal. And they can spawn in numerous counts. There was only one logical explanation. The clones came from the same source. And that was none other than...

 _"No... But how?"_

Before Sonic could form coherent thoughts, **Shadow** grabbed something from behind and held it for the heroes to see.

It was Tails' body. Battered, bleeding, and unmoving. A broken wrench impaled his stomach. **Shadow** threw the dead kitsune in front of them. Sonic's brain defaulted back to the memory when he saw the clone of his best friend being killed in front of his eyes. The horrific scene replayed in his mind. Then, he finally realized.

He forgot about it at first, especially when he saw him save his life from a falling rock. Neither the Tails who got killed in Red Gate six months ago nor the Tails who fought alongside him against the Death Egg Robots were real. The actual Tails was alive. Except, he was someone else. **Shadow** was showing a fake to mess with his head.

Savage tapped his shoulder to get his attention. The teenage wolf pointed at another face. Above the enemies, the black, masked jackal floated in the stuffy air. The ominous red aura glowed as he locked his lonely yellow eye to the pair of green. As Sonic remained frozen and petrified, the jackal extended his arms out as tons of red cubes formed around him. With a quick motion, he shot them right at the heroes. **_(1)_**

Sonic was luckily fast enough to avoid them, but the wolves didn't have the same fate. He heard Savage and Raff scream in pain as the cubes stung their skin like they were caught ablaze. Their bodies spasmed convulsively until their bodies immediately went limp.

"Savage! Raff!"

Then, the duplicates of Tails and Sonic's enemies disappeared from glitches as the abhorrent sounds rang loudly. He poked his fingers in his ears, groaning from the loud noise. When it stopped, Sonic tried to recover, yet his legs couldn't stop shaking. Infinite quickly flew to him where he managed to tackle the hedgehog and wrap his hands around his neck. Sonic choked, small specks of saliva and blood spat out as he struggled within his grasp.

"T-Tails... D-Don't! I-I know y-you're... i-in there!" he tried to get into Infinite's head. "Tails, it's your... o-older brother, S-Sonic..."

No words were spoken from the jackal as he maintained his glower. Sonic felt his grip tighten, to which he laid a hand over his.

"T-Tails... P-Please, snap out of it! I, urgh... wish I knew w-what happened. I sh-should've... s-saved you... B-But... I f-failed..."

'Infinite' listened very closely.

"I d-don't blame you f-for any of this... You were tr-transformed into a m-monster... Eggman did this to you... I don't c-care if I d-die with the rest of my... _our_ fr-friends... Just please, c-come back to n-normal... I'm s-sorry, Tails... I'm sorry I was t-too slow to s-save you a-again..."

Sonic thought all hope was lost for him and his little bro. However, he didn't expect what occurred next. The jackal stopped strangling him and stepped away to give Sonic some needed space. Suddenly, Infinite started to shake. His hands felt numb, and his legs trembled awkwardly. Sonic, now standing up and wheezing for air, wasn't sure what was going on.

"This is my fault..." his face lowered to the ground.

Sonic blinked. His mouth was slightly open, confused at what he heard. "T-Tails?"

The jackal gazed back at the Blue Blur. "I did this. I destroyed everything. I caused the world to fall, I obliterated thousands of animals, and... I hurt you." He started shaking his head, gripping the edges of the mask tightly. "No... No... NO!"

"Tails?" Sonic was getting more concerned.

"I don't deserve your pity. I don't deserve you at all! Not after what I've done!"

"W-What?"

"There's no way in hell that I can be forgiven. Even if the others were still alive, they would never apologize to me. And you..." his index finger waved uncontrollably. "I ruined your life. I was the reason why you suffered in the Death Egg. I should've been stronger to fight back against Eggman when he caught me. I should've done something to keep you alive without making you lose your sanity." His head lowered down once more. "Maybe I should've been left alone on West Side to die as an orphan."

"Tails, don't say that!" his brotherly instincts kicked in. For some reason, he noticed that he was being pulled away from him. The city and all the lifeless animals faded away, leaving just the two of them.

"Sonic..." The hedgehog's heart skipped a beat. Even though Infinite's resonating voice spoke, he barely heard a glimpse of Tails' from within. "This is all my fault. None of this would happen if you didn't meet or save me in the first place. I'm pathetic, I'm useless, and... I'm nothing but a freak..." The possessed jackal started to dematerialize into the white expanse.

"Tails, wait!" Sonic yelled as he got further away. "Tails! TAILS!"

Soon after, Tails was gone, and his vision was blinded by a bright light.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Sonic's eyes shot open as he quickly sat up from his bed. He started gasping for air. When he finally stopped panicking, he took a moment to realize where he was.

 _"God... What a horrible nightmare,"_ Sonic placed a hand on his head. Looking at the clock beside him, it read 3:28 a.m. He heavily sighed, rubbing his right temple. He decided to head downstairs to get a glass of water.

But as for the nightmare, what he dreamt was something he hated to hear from his best friend. Although Infinite was his current identity, the face behind the mask was the same animal. And from memory, hearing him belittle himself only lowered the fox's self-esteem. Not only that, it hurt Sonic's heart.

Since he met Tails, Sonic spent his first few days to convince him that he was special in his own way. A few years later, he shaped him to become a sidekick, an equal hero no less. He helped boost the kid's confidence so he could prove that he can be capable of defending himself. Along the way, the twin-tailed kit also proved to be a reliable pilot, mechanic, and even a mentor – someone to be the voice of reason for Sonic and his friends whenever he thinks something bad could happen. He was never reckless, only careful and stealthy. In desperate measures, however, he was willing to accept change.

Tails had definitely proved so much in Sonic's eyes, albeit the fox always had his own doubts.

Sonic understood that no one is perfect, not even himself for obvious reasons. On the other hand, he wanted Tails to remain poised in his abilities. Sure, he had made several mistakes in the past, but Tails was just a kid. And he _still_ is one. The only time Sonic despised his little brother was when he puts himself down. His negativity occasionally left him frustrated because he hardly gives himself any credit. He wished Tails could rebuild his self-confidence so he wouldn't act like this frequently.

Sonic knew that Tails was fine enough to handle things on his own. Of course, he didn't mind if he had to ask him for support. The thing is, he generally doesn't perceive or think about Tails' state of mind. It could be because the fox hated to express his personal feelings. Tails preferred to keep things secret to himself so that he wouldn't have his older brother worry too much. During those times, Sonic usually read his face like a book whenever he was lying about if he was okay or everything was alright. They'd talk it out until he started feeling better.

That was just part of the problem.

Whenever Tails was feeling upset, Sonic _wanted_ to know why. And although he elaborates his reasoning, he felt like the fox's inner demons were lingering in his brain, haunting him to a terrible extent. Coming back full circle, he recalled what Tails mentioned in the nightmare.

Did he put himself in shame for not only killing innocent civilians but for not standing up for himself like he's done in the past? Did he say those things because he truly believed he was weak? Had he always thought about himself this way from the beginning, even back when he accepted him as his new family?

Then, as Sonic stopped in front of the headquarters' kitchen, a personal question popped up in his head.

 _"Did I not do a good job to help him? Is he still upset at himself for this?"_

Sonic stopped thinking when he heard the doors open. He jumped and saw Knuckles emerge in front of him.

"Whoa! Sorry, Sonic. I didn't know you were there."

"It's not your fault, Knux. What are you doing up so late?"

"Just got some grape soda," he showed the bottle in his right hand. "I needed caffeine, and I wasn't a big fan of coffee."

"Why do you need caffeine?"

"I've been up all night to come up with a new battle plan. Just recently, Spot and Collar were contacting me about clearing up a couple more zones outside of Red Gate, but we still couldn't think of anything. And I was getting frustrated and parched, hence the drink. What about you?"

Sonic shrugged his shoulders, staring down at his feet. "I don't know. Felt like I needed a walk or something."

Knuckles frowned. "Still thinking about him, huh?"

Sighing, he told the truth. "Yeah. I kind of had a nightmare about him. But it wasn't exactly fatal on my part."

"What do you mean?"

Sonic took the next few minutes to explain what he remembered. Knuckles slouched after he took in everything he said.

"I can see why that sounds brutal."

Sonic sadly nodded. "Before I went to sleep, Savage was nice enough to quell my inner anger. But I'm still upset – both at Eggman and myself."

"It's obvious why you're pissed at him. But why at yourself?" he raised an eyebrow.

Sonic shook his head before he turned to face him. "I find it unbelievable that it took me this long to realize that Eggman kidnapped Tails to become his slave. And to think, it almost happened to him a couple of times before this war began. From what I saw in Red Gate after all the clones hurt me, I just thought he was truly gone. Now that I know that Tails is actually alive, I'm grateful for that. The problem is that I also know that he's in trouble. I have to find a way to rescue him. Not only that, I want him back to normal. I just don't know how with that Phantom Ruby in his body. In one way, it's like that thing is controlling him."

"Yeah, I can see where you're going from there."

"Urgh! I just can't fucking think straight anymore! And I just have this urge to beat the shit out of Eggman!" he curled his fists.

"To the point where you want him to learn a lesson or to murder him?"

When he opened his mouth, Sonic couldn't come up with an answer. Never had he ever thought about killing Eggman for good. Revenge was what Sonic craved, but does that automatically mean death was the optimal choice for retaliation?

Just because Dr. Eggman was an evil villain didn't mean that he was completely sadistic from the very beginning. Prior to the war, the worst he had done was abducting small animals to control his Badniks and robotizing any creatures he or his robots caught. At first, it seemed like it was just a game of cat and mouse where both of them spent countless times trying to dominate the other for many years. Sonic winded up winning every single match until Eggman exploited his most sinister plan. Assuming he had won one too many times, the doctor's mentality altered drastically where he was bound to end Sonic's life permanently. And he almost had the chance to do it. Sonic didn't take his rescue for granted. He may have felt indebted to his friends, but he could've died much earlier if Eggman didn't wait it out.

To reiterate, with the current situation stuck in Sonic's head, the determining factor was whether or not he wanted to draw blood against Eggman until he perishes, regardless if the death was slow and painful or fast and somewhat agonizing. Is it really worth killing Eggman if the price was to become like him in terms of ending a life, even if he was his lifelong enemy?

"Sonic..." Knuckles reached out to him. The hedgehog's temper simmered down before he turned to the commander. "Listen, I want Tails back as much as you do, believe me or not. I'm one of his friends, too. I may not hang out with the kid as much as you do for plenty of reasons, but that doesn't mean I want him to suffer under Eggman's control. And I'm confident everyone else feels the same way. I know for a fact that Amy has that feeling in her gut."

The Blue Blur remained silent, glancing at the echidna with a neutral look.

"You're not alone in this, Sonic. We all want Eggman to pay for all the shit he did to us and Mobius. My only concern is if we really want to kill him; it's not just you. It's a bit extreme, yes, but it could be something to consider knowing how far he had gone off the deep end. To be clear, I'm not 100% on board with homicide because what good would that do? It's not going to bring all those poor Mobians back to life. On the other hand, it means we don't have to deal with Egghead anymore."

A long groan escaped Sonic's lips. "I still can't think properly. I honestly don't know what to do."

"Let's just push all of this aside. Besides, we need to actually conquer Eggman and his empire before we can even determine his future. And maybe we can find a way to get Tails back."

"Yeah. I really hope so."

"I gotta get back to the computer room. I don't think I can afford to sleep if I don't have a tactic ready by sunrise."

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Knux. You may not be the brightest one out of the group, but you always get over those hurdles somehow."

Knuckles stared at him funnily. "I don't know if I supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult."

"Eh, let's just say it's both."

The echidna scoffed, but he couldn't help but smirk a little. In turn, the hedgehog did the same. "Come on, Sonic. Go get some rest. I'm sure you'll get through the night."

"I will soon. I just want to get some water before I head back to my room."

"No problem. Night, Sonic."

"G'night, Knuckles," he replied before he watched him walk away. Sonic sighed before he got a cup and returned to his dorm. As he set it down on his bedside table, he laid on the mattress, staring at the ceiling as it barely gleamed in red from the fires outside his window. Shaking his head, Sonic knew that he and his friends had a long way to go to turn things around. Obviously, it was not going to be a simple task to accomplish.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I wish I completed this earlier, but I had some BS assignments due the day I got back from spring break. And both were tedious and time-consuming to finish. Needless to say, I couldn't continue either of my stories until I got that out of the way. And I was way too unmotivated by the time I was done, so it took me longer than I expected to get this out._

 _Secondly, I initially planned to start Operation Big Wave in the second half of this chapter. But after drawing up the nightmare at the start, the direction of this scene made me decide to save it for the following upload. So, I apologize for adding in some filler stuff._

 _I'll see you guys next time in Ch. 26 where Knuckles leads the Revengeful Resistance to Metropolis as they deploy an ambush on Eggman's base. Until then, please let me know how this went, and add this story to your follows/favorites lists to catch up on future updates. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _You might recognize that I included some moments from the trailers of the game. Of course, I put my own twist into this by excluding Classic Sonic and inserting Tails, Savage, and cameos of the Resistance. Like I did in Ch. 22, I highlighted the Shadow clone's name in bold to distinguish him from the real one._

 _One other thing I should note that I had to ask my friend, The Sensational SpiderDom321, if I possibly copied some context from his old iteration " Sonic and the Secret Strikers" (now revived and named "Sonic Heroes: The Atom Bomb") because he wrote a revised scene similar to the trailers as well. I just didn't want you to think that I potentially plagiarized his previous work, but I wanted to make sure with his approval. Again, please check him and his stories out!_


	26. Ch 26: Operation Big Wave (Part 1)

_A/N:_ _The only important note I should mention is that I edited one part of Knuckles' dialogue in the last chapter to make the context in this chapter fit with the previous one. Other than that, I got some more shoutouts to deliver._

 _Thank you Oderus, Leodragon678, Alexandria Prime, cyberkiller125, Golden Eye, TurquoiseTriangle, The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, Dayman, Black Twilight Wolf, SharpDragonKlaw, Tiger of Darkness, and the Guests for reviewing! As for Guest #2 who reviewed the second chapter, they have a long way to go to understand that the entire thing was a hoax. (If you're reading this, I hope everything up to this point clears things up. If not, then fuck me.) But I did fix the phrasing for that part they mentioned, and it took me over a year to realize that, yes, I didn't write that out correctly._

 _Alongside TurquoiseTriangle and Leodragon678, I also want to thank ImpishDude2100 and Esthelar for the favorites and follows, respectively! Because of that, Revengeful Resistance is now at **40 favorites** and **followers**! And it's also on the verge of 250 reviews!_

 _Today, we're going back to the action as our heroes will set off for an ambush against Eggman's army in Metropolis. How will they fare, and who will they be fighting?_

* * *

 _Disclaimer:_ _Sonic the Hedgehog is not owned by me. If I tried to claim the characters or the franchise, I expect Sega and the entire fanbase to hunt me down with pitchforks._

* * *

 **Chapter 26:** Operation Big Wave (Part 1)

Tick. Tick. Tick.

The second hand on the analog clock repeated the same sound in the headquarters' control room. The late-night hours slowly passed by for Knuckles, who struggled to come up with the team's next battle plan.

What also bothered him was that there wasn't much time left. Approximately forty-eight hours, give or take a few, was the current deadline. The fate of Mobius' future was slowly dwindling, and Knuckles couldn't stop pondering about it.

Sitting at the table in front of the mobile computer, his eyes blinked repeatedly. Exhausted and nearly tempted to lay his head down, the red leader refused to sleep as he tried anything to stay awake. Occasionally, he got up from his seat and did some floor exercises – a couple of push-ups and crunches to keep his blood flowing. He also splashed cold water on his face, causing him to shiver from the freezing temperature yet keep his eyes wide open. And if he was desperate, he gulped down another bottle of grape soda from the fridge. The caffeine allowed him to stay awake, and the grape flavor was a bonus for him.

Eventually, after so much time and investigating, Knuckles received an important message from Collar. After he explained his findings, the commander finally had a strategy set up for action. As he brought Spot into the conversation, he told the soldiers to lead their squads to the outer limits of Metropolis. After discussing his scheme, Collar and Spot were committed before they ended the call. Knuckles grunted as he stood up again to stretch his arms and headed towards his dormitory.

Prior to locking the doors, he stopped to glance at the clock. It read 5:53 a.m.

 _"Only about an hour of sleep for me."_

Shaking his head, the echidna was at least grateful that he was getting a little bit of shuteye rather than nothing. All he hoped for was a successful mission by the time he and his friends head out.

* * *

It was now 6:50 in the morning. The majority of the Sonic gang was up for a new day of combat against Eggman's army. Charmy, Blaze, Amy, Raff, Rouge, and Silver were up early and eating breakfast while Savage, Espio, Vector, Shadow, and Sonic were in the showers. Omega turned himself on after recharging his circuits overnight. About ten minutes later, everyone congregated in the computer room, feeling prepared for whatever Knuckles has arranged for the day.

There was one problem though; Knuckles wasn't with them.

"What's taking him so long?" Rouge put her hands on her hips.

"I think I see why," Blaze pointed at a recycling bin full of glass soda bottles.

"He stayed up late last night," answered Sonic. "He was trying to think of what to do for the day, but he looked extremely tired."

"What were _you_ doing up last night?" Amy was concerned.

"Just wanted a drink of water. That's all."

"You sure it wasn't anything else?"

"No, not really. Trust me, I'm fine, Amy," he dismissed her question.

"If you say so." She wasn't happy with his response.

Three minutes rolled by, and the Commander still hasn't been seen by the others. Blaze and Silver decide to check in his room, and surprisingly, they came back quickly.

"He just got out of the bathroom, so we don't have to wait any longer," said Blaze.

True to her word, everyone saw Knuckles sluggishly enter the room. His right glove rubbed his eyes.

"You just had to show up late, didn't you?" Shadow huffed.

Knuckles gave him a glare, but he didn't retort at him. He twitched his head, feeling his neck crack. Groaning from that, he sighed heavily before regaining his composure.

"I apologize for my tardiness. I don't have any excuses, but I'm going to move on. Besides, we need to get to business."

"So, what's the new sitrep, Commander?" Silver asked him.

"Last night, Collar and his unit have heard rumors that Eggman's army is shorthanded at his headquarters in Metropolis. Not a lot of Egg Pawns and Badniks out there, but the security towers remain a dilemma."

Espio laid a hand on his chin. "I bet they could be staging somewhere else as Eggman tries to reclaim the land we recovered, or if he's busy with his ultimate plan for eradication."

"But a shorthanded army? I find that odd," Vector scratched his head.

"How so?" Raff asked the crocodile.

"When Charmy, Espio, and I were there, we couldn't charge through Capital City with all of his forces patrolling the area. I'm telling you, that place is a death trap. I'm almost certain tons of our members died there more than any other place on Mobius."

"You make a good point, Vector. And yes, it's difficult to move on from those tragedies. But if what Collar reported to Knuckles was true, then this could be our big chance to take the city," noted the purple feline.

"That's the spirit, Blaze! We're going to execute a full-frontal assault on Metropolis. Therefore, I'm naming this event, 'Operation Big Wave'! I explained the details to Collar and Spot; both have taken their forces to the city, and they could be there right now as we speak. I told them that we'll meet around 9 o'clock. So, we need to head out soon."

From his body language, Shadow looked unconvinced. "And how exactly does this strategy work out? Did you even think it out clearly?"

"I sure did! Well, I at least hope so."

"You _hope_ so?" the black hedgehog growled. "What the hell does that supposed to mean?!"

"Eh... I came up with this in about a minute and a half."

"Are you serious?!"

"Yeah but listen. Although I'm not entirely confident that the plan will completely work out in our favor, I'm also not doubting on it."

"And what happens if this plan backfires?" Rouge questioned. "You heard what Vector said about all the fallen animals in our army!"

"Battle strategy computes about a 20% chance of succeeding. Even with the shortage of enemies in the city, the odds are not stacked well for us. Let it be known that Eggman's army always instigates some random occurrence that can either blemish our progress or destroy mankind," Omega spoke up.

"This is ridiculous," Sonic threw his arms in frustration. "Can anyone else think of another plan? Anybody?" No one said a word as they only shared glances at each other. "My point exactly. We can't sit here and go back to the drawing board. From what we know, we're now down to two full days until Eggman potentially kills us all. I say that whatever Knuckles has planned, goes."

"Are you sure about this, Sonic?" Raff was a little hesitant.

"It's honestly better than nothing, so I'm in."

Knuckles gave him a nod in return for backing him up. "We're gonna go in hard and fast. We won't let a single second go to waste as we dismantle Eggman's army. Until all those robots and towers are destroyed, we will not stop whatsoever."

"I have a question," Savage raised his hand. "How are we going to handle Operation Big Wave? What exactly are we going to do?"

Knuckles walked over to the computer and turned it on. "Earlier today, I designated everyone into groups and gave out specific roles for our strategy." He opened up a table with the Resistance members' names and their jobs. "The first group I have listed is Silver, Blaze, and myself. The three of us will help Spot and Unit #2, the Snake Squad, in the west part of Metropolis. Team Dark, I want you to handle the east side. You'll be collaborating with Unit #3, which is Collar's Fox Squad."

"I can handle things myself, thank you," the ebony hedgehog grumbled.

"Don't be so arrogant," Rouge nudged him with her elbow. "Remember you tried to handle things on your own, only to be captured? I'm not letting that happen to you again." Shadow rolled his eyes at the bat. "Don't do that to me. We're working together like we've done in the past, whether you like it or not."

"We shall execute battle strategy to our fullest potential. Eggman and his forces won't predict nor expect our unannounced arrival," said Omega.

Shadow sighed. "Fine. I'll commit."

"Raff, I have you paired with the Chaotix and one-half of our Eagle Squad to control the air fleet. **_(1)_** All of you will use the shuttle to disable the enemy towers. And because of your technical abilities, I want you to help activate the laser mechanism. If you run into any difficulties, I'm sure you'll find a way to fix it. But I'll also let you team up with some engineers to assist you, if necessary. Are you up for the challenge?"

"You can count on me, sir!" the red wolf saluted.

"We'll definitely have a good advantage with him in our group," Espio patted Raff's back.

"Lastly, I paired Sonic, Amy, and Savage altogether. I want you three to head into the heart of Metropolis with the other half of our unit. I'm also putting you in charge to track down Infinite."

"Sounds easier said than done, but I think we'll take care of it," Savage commented.

"I believe so, too. Are you good with that, Sonic?" Amy cautiously glanced at him.

After standing idle in silence for a short while, he raised his head with a face full of fury. "We have to get my little buddy back. I won't stand it if he's still under Eggman's control," hissed Sonic.

"If you can obstruct him in some fashion, that's all that matters. With that Phantom Ruby in his chest, he's definitely faster and more powerful that he'll be difficult to outmaneuver. Sonic," the echidna turned to him, "I suggest you try to outsmart him with your speed and abilities."

"I can do that."

"But as a warning, I'm only saying this because I know you two. If you have to go to desperate measures, you must defend yourself. If you end up harming him, unintentional or not, regret about it later. Focus on saving him first."

"Trust me, I'll beat myself up if I do anything like before."

Amy walked up behind Sonic and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Just stay calm and relaxed like you usually do. If you feel terrible, don't let it eat you up inside. It'll all be worth it once we get Tails on our side again."

The Blue Blur felt a bit reassured from Amy's advice. He gave her a small smile.

"As for the HQ, I have Delilah, Greg, and a few other animals who'll take care of the operations and look after the place. We're still a powerhouse when everyone is contributing. We've got the strength and the spirit to win compared to how we felt in our previous battles. And from the bottom of my heart, I wouldn't find another group to replace you all. I'm grateful to say that my friends make up the best team that I'd want to fight with."

"I couldn't have said it better myself! We'll all give Eggman and his army an old-fashioned beatdown! It's all for one, and one for all!" shouted Vector, raising in a fist in the air.

"We'll clobber those robots in the city this time!" Charmy was both ecstatic and resolute.

"I guess this plan could work out if we're quick on the attacks," said Raff. "Their forces may have more in sheer numbers, but there's that possibility that we can overthrow his headquarters fruitfully."

"And hopefully, if we corner Infinite, maybe we'll get that Phantom Ruby out of his body and turn him back to Tails. We can also destroy that thing for good so that all this chaos can stop. But to reiterate, I can only hope so... This is all new territory for me and basically everyone else," Savage stated, fidgeting his glasses.

"Now then, are there any more questions you guys have? Any objections to your assigned roles?" Mostly everyone was on board. Shadow reluctantly stood in silence as he let Knuckles continue. "Excellent! I think we're ready to take a big step towards victory! Come on, Revengeful Resistance! Let's get going to Capital City and Eggman's headquarters! This is for both the world and for Tails!"

"YEAH!" the entire room cheered. They boarded the shuttle and set off for Metropolis with high expectations. Operation Big Wave was about to commence.

* * *

 _Location: Death Egg_

Little did the Resistance know that a few robots spied on their conversation at their HQ. Their audio was wiretapped and recorded live to Eggman's computer. The doctor, who was sitting in front of his large monitor, heard every single word that they said.

"Heh! They dare to overthrow my headquarters and empire? As if! What can that rabble do with an all-out attack? I'll be one step ahead of the game, unlike those conniving, little wretches!"

He got up from his chair and stormed to the downstairs dungeon where Infinite had rested for the night. Scratch that; where Infinite was detained.

Orbot and Cubot were in one of the labs where they were supervising the robotic assembly line. Eggman ordered them to create a new set of Badniks and roboticize more of the prisoners to add more members to their army after the Resistance's troops managed to suppress most of them down on Mobius. They heard the doctor's footsteps from behind. Not wanting him to stop and berate them, they paid no attention as they maintained their jobs. They did, however, glance at Eggman when his back was towards them. Orbot and Cubot then looked at each other before sighing. They've always been loyal to their boss since the day he programmed them to be two of his main underlings. But his sanity throughout the war has drastically affected their morale. Neither of them commented about it unless they wanted to suffer another one of Eggman's harsh lectures.

The mad scientist reached the prison cell where Infinite laid. The jackal huddled to himself against the wall, his head buried in his arms and legs. Since his last punishment ended, he was deprived of feeling anything besides the pain that coursed through his veins. And because of how miserable he felt, he ignored the sounds and activities that went by last night. Infinite did not react when Orbot and Cubot gave him breakfast earlier this morning. And he sure didn't hear Eggman enter the dungeon recently.

"Infinite! Wake up!"

An audible groan came from the masked figure. However, he didn't move his head.

"Infinite! As your leader, I command you to get up!"

The jackal wasn't in the mood to deal with another rant from him. But as much he tried to stand, his body wouldn't let him. His hands tried to push off from the ground, yet he couldn't do it. His legs shook uncontrollably. He breathed unsteadily from within his mask.

Due to his impatience, Eggman did not waste another second. He grabbed his remote control and pressed the shock button to initiate a painful wake-up call.

"GAAAH!"

He let it last for five seconds before turning it off. He slowly approached him until he was standing three feet from him. "Are you going to get up now, or not?"

"I'm already up, damn it."

"You're still on the floor. What I meant is for you to stand up!"

Another shaky breath escaped. Infinite struggled, placing his hands on the wall for support as he gradually got on his feet. The doctor grunted at him for taking too long.

Infinite refused to look at Eggman. "What is it now?"

"Since you're apparently incapacitated, I'm gonna have to do something to get yourself back to full power."

"I wouldn't be this way if you didn't make me lose all my nerves and senses last night."

"And had you managed to bring Sonic to his prison where he belonged, you wouldn't undergo my wrath!" Eggman retorted. "Look at me!"

The jackal hesitated before he turned his head. He remained silent for several seconds. "Just tell me what you want this time."

"Your _friends_ are planning to ambush my main headquarters in Metropolis. If those clowns think that they can overtake the city, they have another thing coming for them." Eggman didn't notice, but Infinite barely flinched at his remark. He could tell where this was going. "This is a new opportunity for you to redeem your idiotic mistakes in the past. Your main goal, as always, is to defeat Sonic and take him as prisoner once again. After that, I'm going to end his life for good this time! He's waited for too long before I had my chance, and I want him gone from this world so that my empire can rule without any impediments!"

"Need I remind you that you waited six months to kill him? You told me and the clones I made for you to only beat him up at the time?"

"Don't remind me. You should be happy I didn't murder him on the spot. After all, he's your _best friend_."

"Stop m-mentioning that..." he stammered.

"From now on, I won't play the nice guy for you. I'm going to kill him in cold blood. And once everyone else is done for, I've got special plans for your future."

"Special plans? You couldn't have been blunter by saying 'You're going to kill me?' I know your true intentions. To think, you weren't that heartless back at the Lost Hex. But there's a demon inside you."

"I'm a complicated man."

"How many times are you going to use that lame excuse?"

"Zip it, _Tails_!" he furiously addressed him by his real name.

Both of them were caught in another staring match. Their eyes glared at one another. Eggman was full of fury and intolerance; Infinite was mostly irritated, yet somewhat intimidated. It was hard to tell from his face, but those were his true views.

"Orbot! Cubot!" Eggman shouted for his underlings. They both hovered into the dungeon about a minute later. "Infinite needs a jolt for my new battle plans. I doubt the Phantom Ruby is losing any power. But just in case, regenerate the ruby and restore his body. Afterward, we're heading down to Metropolis for a counterattack against the Resistance."

"Sorry to interject," Orbot raised a finger, "but do you want us to take him to your Empire Fortress?" **_(2)_**

"No. It'll take too long to travel, and they might annihilate my entire base before we can get there."

"Then what do we do?" asked Cubot.

"Take him to a capsule in one of the labs. After he's rejuvenated, escort him to a shuttle. Do I make myself clear?""

"Yes, Dr. Eggman," they both replied, their voice chips toneless.

"Good. I will join you all shortly." He slowly shifted around to face the possessed Tails. He walked over and leaned towards him, his face inches away from the jackal's mask. "Listen very carefully. Do as I say, and I will spare you from more retributions. Fail me again, and I will voluntarily capture Sonic by myself. After that, I will force him to watch you die – _for real_ – before I completely eradicate him."

Infinite didn't say a single thing. His head lowered to the ground as he waited for Orbot and Cubot to take him away. The red and yellow minions drifted over as the jackal put his hands behind his back. They slowly guided him out of the dungeon and away from Eggman.

"Infinite..." Orbot whispered when they were far from him. "I mean, Tails-"

"Don't even try to make me feel better," he growled.

"That's not exactly what we had in mind. You see... Well..."

"We're sorry we have to do this to you," Cubot finished his statement.

"Right. We may be loyal to the doctor. However, that doesn't mean we think that the way he has treated you is appropriate."

"You might not believe us, but it's true."

"Did you not hear what I said? Just get me to the lab already so we can get this shit over with."

The robots sighed with soft beeps as they gently resumed their walk. The mercenary's left eye met the metal floor once more.

 _"So long as Sonic stays alive, I'll do anything to keep it that way..."_

That thought didn't come from Infinite. It was from the other individual.

* * *

 _Location: Metropolis_

Knuckles, his friends, and Unit #1 of the Resistance landed in the city outskirts where they saw Collar, Spot, and all the soldiers from the 2nd and 3rd Units. After getting accustomed to their roles and being relieved that Sonic was with them in person, everyone felt very confident with the upcoming assault. From there, the forces got into position.

The Chaotix, Raff, and half of the Eagle Squad remained in the shuttles and took to the blue skies. Knuckles and Spot gazed at one another before nodding confidently. With Silver, Blaze, and the Snake Squad, they all stood on the left. On the far right, Omega, Rouge, and Shadow, who stared up at the buildings with a malcontent look, stood next to Collar and the Fox Squad behind them. Sonic, Savage, and Amy were in the middle with the soldiers of Eagle Squad, charging up their guns and stretching their arms and legs.

"Come on, everyone!" Sonic wanted to pump up the crowd. "Let's get in there and kick some robot butt! If we can shut down this place, then I bet we'll finally take on Eggman later!"

All of the soldiers responded positively with cheers and war cries. They all waited for a prompt signal from the leader who glanced at his friends.

Bobbing his head with self-assurance, Knuckles knew the Revengeful Resistance was ready.

"Operation Big Wave shall start on my count! 3... 2... 1... CHARGE!"

Sonic and Shadow's speed allowed them to boost ahead before anyone else. The remaining members all made a beeline to their respective paths as they went into pursuit to take down Capital City.

The western city limits had a set of streets that were filled with a couple of Egg Pawns and Moto Bugs. Knuckles went forward with flying fists, punching the trail ahead of him. Blaze and Silver also did their part as the latter stalled the enemies with his psychokinesis. The feline summoned her pyrokinesis and whipped out several flames to burn the robots. Spot ran forward with them, his feet sliding across the metal ground as he aimed his laser gun towards a myriad of Moto Bugs. The large explosion caused their metal body parts to disperse. He had to duck when a piece of a Moto Bug's wing nearly hit him.

"Shit, that was close!"

"You're doing fine, Spot! Let's keep going!"

"You got it, Commander! Snake Squad!" he called out his unit's nickname. "Head for those launch pads! We'll go further into the city from there!"

Blaze was the first to bounce over, flying over a wall and landing on the other side. "More Badniks sighted up north!" she warned.

"Don't worry! We'll take care of them!" Silver shouted as he was right behind her.

* * *

The eastern region of Metropolis had a winding path that led to some nearby sentries that tried to track down the Resistance's movements. Giant lasers from the towers shot at the Team Dark and the Fox Squad as they sprinted down the road. One of them went directly in front of Shadow that he had to evade it by rushing off to the side – to the point where he was literally dashing against the side of a building.

"We won't let these towers intimidate us! Keep running!" Collar screamed at his soldiers.

He and several animals ran forward as they encountered a set of Egg Pawns. While the robots fired their weapons, the Fox Squad took control over them, wiping them out one by one with their guns. After she fought a few Buzz Bombers in the air, Rouge flew past everyone to gain a bird's eye view of the path ahead.

"They're still firing at us! And we got more Badniks down this hill!"

Omega did his best to counter the sentries, trying to parry the lasers with several of his own. While the towers proved to be too powerful, Omega changed his objective.

"Towers are resilient. Cannot repel the cannons with my strength. Contact red wolf and the Chaotix for assistance. I will refocus on the weaker adversaries."

Shadow took note of Omega's request and turned on his communicator. "These sentries are trying to kill us!" the hedgehog called the shuttle's radio. "They need to be taken down instantly!"

"Roger that!" Vector replied. "Our shuttle is heading to the east side right now."

"Look out for that sentry!" one of the Eagle Squad's soldiers yelled.

The Chaotix had to swerve away from the robotic towers as the lasers nearly attacked the ship.

"That was way too close for comfort! I hope Raff and the tech guys can get our lasers up and running!"

"I'm gonna need some more time, Charmy. This thing needs to wait a while to power up to the max!" Raff responded.

"Make sure you don't rush anything. We can't afford our lasers to falter," Espio told him.

Raff and the team finally had their cannons prepared to obliterate the arsenals. He took control of the panel, setting up the trajectory and coordinates at their targets.

"Steady..." he squinted at the computer screen. "Locked on. Aim... Fire!"

Red beams fired away from the shuttle and caused a massive explosion on one of the turrets. Raff then set up for his next target, getting another direct hit. He managed to destroy a third tower with the lasers.

"Don't forget to look out for flying Badniks!" said Vector. "The towers are not the only hindrances we need to look out for!"

"Gotcha. Let's keep it up, guys! I hope Savage and the others are holding their ground, too."

* * *

Speaking of the teenage rookie, his trusty grappling hook helped him fly across the gaps until he landed on solid ground. Sonic and Amy were right behind him after they both dismantled an army of Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns. Scurrying down to the next area, Savage took charge with his Burst Wispon, slaying the next group of Eggman's robots with a blazing inferno. Sonic went into ball form to deploy a chain reaction of minor explosions. Amy followed up with her Piko Piko Hammer, swaying around in circles as she dealt major damage to the Badniks.

"Way to go, Ames!" Sonic gave her a thumbs-up.

The pink hedgehog winked at him. "It was easy-peasy!"

"How're you doing, Savage?"

Up the path ahead, they saw the orange wolf handle a bunch of Egg Pawns with some soldiers. "All clear in this section! But I see more over there. I thought Collar said this place was undermanned!"

"Maybe we underestimated how many enemies are actually here. I mean, this is where Eggman's central headquarters are located."

Suddenly, Savage felt something hit his chest. He went flying back, landing in front of his friends.

"Savage!" they ran up to him.

"Are you alright?" Amy asked worryingly.

"Ah, damn it..." he hissed. "Something got me. But I think I'm alright." The hedgehogs grabbed his hands to pull him up.

"What even hit you? And where did it come from?" Amy started looking around the city.

"I don't know. I couldn't tell."

"Come on, let's not dawdle here. We need to find Tails!" Sonic urged them.

All of them resumed running until they boosted off a launch pad. The Eagle Squad took the low route and settled against the Badniks below the heroes. Savage was soaring in the middle with Amy and Sonic to his left and right, respectively.

Suddenly, all three didn't expect to run into a familiar face.

Flying from behind, the masked jackal caught up to Amy, Sonic, and Savage and managed to glide in front of them. Glancing to the right, Sonic was the first to notice and gasped at the monster.

"Tails?!"

Amy and Savage peered over when they heard Sonic. Both their eyes enlarged as the yellow pupil glared back at the trio.

From all across the city, the gigantic telescreens, displayed on the parapets of the skyscrapers, depicted a live video feed of the notorious doctor.

"You Resistance fools can't seem to give up, don't you? Well, I've had enough of your shenanigans! Sonic will no longer be alive when I get my hands on him again! And the rest of you will fall victim to my final project that will downright end all of your pathetic lives!"

"What does that fucker have planned this time?" Savage gritted his teeth.

Sonic didn't know, nor did he pay attention to his question. His mind defaulted to one thing, and one thing only.

 _"Tails..."_ His thoughts were then clouded by Eggman's next message.

"Infinite! Activate the Phantom Ruby! Make all these dullards wish that they were never born! It'll be as gruesome as to what your fallen soldiers suffered from the past six months!"

The jackal raised his hand above his head, projecting a distracting, red glow across Metropolis that it stunned Amy, Savage, and Sonic. And what happened next felt like another unnerving nightmare.

"TAILS! NO!"

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Part 1 of Operation Big Wave started off strongly, but the tide has turned when Infinite burst onto the scene to cause mayhem once again. Although Sonic, Amy, and Savage were the only ones who seemed to be affected by the jackal, the rest of the Resistance will also experience some major difficulties. You can also tell how distraught Sonic is right now._

 _I did draft the outline for this chapter; but a lot of inspiration for this part of the story comes from my friend, Infinite's Ruby, who recently completed her Sonic Forces rewrite. (Congrats again, Ruby!) I would highly recommend checking it out if you haven't already._

 _Nest time on Revengeful Resistance, Operation Big Wave will resume, but it won't be pretty for the heroes. Why? You'll have to see for yourself later. Until then, please let me know how this went by reviewing down below. Don't forget to follow and add this to your favorites if you want to catch up on updates. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _I've been using numbers for the Resistance's subsidiary squads, but I decided to implement the animal names for them here since they were mentioned in the Metropolis level. Plus, their names are easier to distinguish. And in case I need to clarify, Unit #1 is the Eagle Squad, #2 is Snake, and #3 is Fox. Any additional units would be named later._

 ** _(2):_** _ Sonic Wiki explains that in the game, Eggman conducted his experiments on Infinite in the Eggman Empire Fortress, built in a barren wasteland surrounded by mountains. Eggman's work caused the Phantom Ruby to fuse into Infinite's body where he became his most powerful retainer. It was also where the war's conclusion took place._

 _Of course, everything in this rewrite would imply that Eggman took Tails to the Eggman Empire Fortress for his experiments. Therefore, Tails transformed into Infinite when the ruby was fused into **his** body. And because I last had Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, and Infinite in the Death Egg last time, it wouldn't make sense if I made them switch locations for the sake of plot convenience. Nevertheless, we will get to see the Empire Fortress in the future._


	27. Ch 27: Operation Big Wave (Part 2)

_A/N: I wanted to get Part 2 of OBW out of the way, but the last few weeks have been busy on my part that I had to wait for a good time to write this. I'm going to make this intro as short as I can._

 _Thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! I also appreciate Demonfan50 and meiloorun-notthe-fruit for the favorites and follows! And another special shoutout to my friend, The Sensational SpiderDom321, for helping me draft more of the plot! Now let's get back to Revengeful Resistance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I don't see any pitchforks (yet), so that's a good sign. I still don't own Sonic the Hedgehog._

* * *

 **Chapter 27:** Operation Big Wave (Part 2)

The moment he appeared out of nowhere was when all hell broke loose... again.

It happened not once, not twice, not even three times. So much tragedy fell upon the Mobians that they couldn't care to keep track of the instances. All they knew was that when the Ultimate Mercenary was spotted, shit was going to hit the fan.

Sonic was the first to notice Infinite, but he couldn't do anything as soon as he saw the jackal raise his hand high. Everything around him felt frozen – like the world stopped spinning in outer space. Neither Savage nor Amy were able to react in time either. The red projection flashed in their eyes that they felt like they couldn't see anything.

"TAILS! NO!"

But the jackal didn't listen to his 'brother'. Instead, he trounced on the trio, causing them to fall several stories high. They hit the ground very hard, trembling from the impact. The blue hedgehog groaned as he moved his jaw. He found it hard to move as he slowly got up. He glanced over to his right where he saw Amy on the ground; Savage laid several feet behind her. Both of their eyes were closed. Sonic went up to the pink hedgehog.

"Amy. Amy! Wake up!"

"Urgh... Oh..." Her eyelids slowly raised up, blinking a few times as her vision slowly became clear. "Sonic!"

"Don't worry, Amy. I'm right here."

After she got on her feet, she wiped the debris off her dress. "Where's Savage?"

Sonic pointed over at him. They were about to head over until a blast of red energy aimed at him.

"Savage!"

His body flinched even though he didn't react from the soreness. Another energy sphere landed near Sonic's feet, causing him to fall backward. He didn't get hurt, but he was appalled to see his Infinite hover near the unconscious wolf. As Amy pulled him up, the jackal carried Savage over his shoulder. And he instantly flew away with the rookie in tow. **_(1)_**

"Tails, don't! Come back!" he called out to him.

Albeit horrified, Amy shifted her attention to a loud shriek. Or rather, _several_ loud shrieks. She looked down below, noticing many faces from the Eagle Squad. To add more to her shock, the robots and sentries cornered the soldiers. With nowhere to escape, Amy realized the inevitable. She turned away from the scene, clutching Sonic's body as grief took over her thoughts. They heard numerous lasers firing at the trapped combatants. Sonic and Amy shut their eyes, wincing from the explosive blasts that trailed after. The Blue Blur reluctantly glanced back at the area below the bridge they stood on. He immediately regretted doing so.

"Oh, Sonic..." she didn't dare to move from her spot. "Are they..."

"Yes, Amy. There's no denying it." He refused to add in any further comment. Instead, he wanted to get back to action. "Come on. We can't stand here and mourn forever. I know that what just happened was extremely terrible, and it hurts to know that they're gone, but we still have a task at hand. We need to find Tails."

The pink hedgehog knew Sonic was right, so she wiped her tears away and let him go. She couldn't stop hyperventilating.

Just then, they heard a slushing noise. They looked around until Sonic sighted the intruder.

"Chaos?!"

Amy looked over to her right and gasped. What's different about the water creature was that he was not in his Chaos 0 form. Instead, he resembled Chaos 2. **_(2)_** Sonic noticed the two Chaos Emeralds in his body. Remembering what Shadow said about Infinite's cloning abilities, he presumed they were also replicas.

He stood in front of Amy protectively. "You may be stronger than your basic self, but you're still just a phony, ya Big Drip!" Of course, Chaos didn't reply nor did he have a facial expression. "Giving me the silent treatment again, huh? Whatever, I'll take you down like before, even if you're a clone!"

Sonic was about to charge forward until Amy grasped his shoulder. " _We'll_ take him down. I'm not going to stand here and watch."

He didn't dither about Amy's assistance. Giving her a nod, the hedgehogs prepared themselves for a showdown against the God of Destruction.

* * *

Silver, Blaze, Spot, and Knuckles cleared the next set of Egg Pawns and darted down another road on the west side. However, Spot had an instinct that something strange happened since Eggman showed his face on the telescreens. He looked behind him and noticed that less than half of the Snake Squad was missing.

"Commander! Hold up for a minute!"

Knuckles heard him and started to stop. "What is it, Spot?" Silver and Blaze also paused from their running.

"Snake Squad! Halt!"

All the soldiers reacted late that some of them bumped into each other, causing several of them to fall.

"Why'd you stop us?!" a yellow-feathered bird grunted.

"Yeah, what's the problem?" Silver came up to him.

"Do you not see it?! We came in here with a hundred guys in our squadron. I don't even see fifty heads here! Where's the rest of Snake Squad?"

Everyone gazed at each other, taking a clear look at who was nearby and who wasn't. Not only that, some of them just understood Spot's announcement. The animals noticed that their friends, whom they were close to, were missing from the group. Worried and confused, they didn't know why. All of the members assumed it was either Eggman or Infinite's doing, but it was enigmatic to tell.

"Knuckles, what should we do?" Blaze asked with concern.

Staring at the floor, the echidna contemplated whether or not the team should retrace from where they came or move forward despite the low soldier count. He thought of something, yet he wasn't enthusiastic.

"Spot, take no less than twenty guys with you. Head back to where we started and see if they got left behind for some reason. We'll take the others and head further down Metropolis. If you've found them or if anything seems out of the ordinary, don't hesitate to contact me."

"Yes, Commander." Spot recruited the left half of the unit, and they hastily sped in the opposite direction.

Sighing to himself, Knuckles regained his focus as he led Silver, Blaze, and the remainder of Snake Squad down the path. The Egg Pawns noticed their appearances and instantly fired from their spots. Rage began to boil in Knuckles' head as he went head-on against a line of six robots. One managed to shoot a laser that scathed a part of his shoulder. Hissing from the burn, he extended his fists at the enemy, crushing its head repeatedly until the dents became severe.

Blaze and Silver were hectic using their respective powers to keep the Egg Pawns at bay. Soon, a red light blinded their eyes. It caused Silver to lose control of his psychic abilities and Blaze to dim her fire.

That's when they knew. The aggravating sensation returned.

"S-Silver?"

"Yeah, B-Blaze?"

"Do you... feel _that_ again?"

"Urgh, I... I do... I feel so... w-weak..."

From afar, Infinite was floating behind one of the buildings. Savage was still on his shoulder; he hadn't moved since he was attacked. The jackal simply stared at them with his lonely eye. It didn't take long before he teleported away.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was far ahead of Silver and Blaze that he didn't realize that both were on the ground until he looked back. Afraid that Infinite might come out of nowhere, he instantly rushed to their side while he told the fighters to move forward with the assault. The echidna quickly carried both of them over his shoulders and ran away until they hid in the shadows of a skyscraper.

"Blaze! Silver!"

"Ow..." the white-furred hedgehog slowly opened his eyes. "Knuckles... I think Infinite is nearby. He got a piece of us again."

"Did the Virtual Reality hit you?"

"No..." Blaze huffed. "But my head is throbbing in pain. It feels just like what we suffered back at Mystic Jungle."

 _"Fuck,"_ Knuckles loathed himself. "I don't know why I ran ahead of you guys. Because of that, I wasn't by your side to see it coming."

"It's not your fault, Knuckles."

"Well, I feel bad that you almost went through that kind of torture again. For it to happen two times in as many days, it's not fair on your part. I can't lose either of you; not at this time."

As if things couldn't get any worse, Spot called him on his communicator. "Commander Knuckles! I need more reinforcements!"

"Reinforcements? For what?"

"Infinite activated the Phantom Ruby and caused our troops to scatter in confusion! That's why more than half of the unit went missing in the first place!"

"What happened to them? Are they alright? Did you at least find the ones who dispersed?"

Knuckles heard Spot shudder. "We found the missing soldiers, alright."

"Spot? What's wrong?" He soon regretted asking that question.

"Infinite's powers manipulated the soldiers to walk into enemy crossfire. Several of them suffered injuries, others got captured, and the rest... they're gone, sir." A heavy silence fell upon them. "I... I can confirm that about 60% of Snake Squad were lost from the Phantom Ruby's illusions. I don't know exactly how many were deceased; it's devastating, nevertheless."

Knuckles, Blaze, and Silver were shattered to hear the devastating news. "Spot, I'm sorry."

"This is no time to apologize, sir. The rest of my teammates are trying to evacuate any Resistance members we can find and lead them away from Infinite's control. We can't risk having more animals get stuck in the- AAAHH!"

"Spot! Spot! Commander to Spot, do you read me?! Answer back!"

"Ugh... More of us... got blasted by... the P-Pawns. We're in peril!"

"Damn it. This is not good at all."

"Are you still g-going further in Metropolis? How are the others in S-Snake Squad?"

"Spot, take some deep breaths. I know things aren't going well on your part, but you need to calm down." The dog obeyed his command, but he wasn't completely relieved. "Listen, they carried on without me. I should've stopped them now that I think about it, but I told them to move on without me to take down the city."

"You what?!" Knuckles was afraid he would react like that. "You've g-got to find them b-before they get scattered as well! They'll plunge into chaos if Infinite gets ahold of them!"

"Don't worry. I'll go out and find them. But first, I'm gonna call the Chaotix to take Silver and Blaze to safety. They've been struck by Infinite again. Thankfully, the Virtual Reality didn't mess with them, but they're injured."

"Do whatever you can. We have to switch up our game plan though."

"Understandable. At this point, I'm more focused on protecting our soldiers. I'll make sure the Chaotix get you as well."

Ending his call with Spot, the echidna clenched a fist and shut his eyes in shame. Operation Big Wave was his idea, and now it was starting to backfire. The rest of the Resistance having better luck was all he could hope for.

"Knuckles," Silver tugged at his arm. "You don't have to get them to pick us up."

"Silver, I can't afford to put you out there when Infinite got both of you twice. I know you want to go out and help, but this is serious business. I'm sorry." With that, he quickly contacted Vector, Espio, and Charmy to withhold their duty.

"You want us to what?" Charmy questioned, wondering if Knuckles was joking.

"Leave the enemy towers to the Eagle Squad soldiers controlling the other shuttles. I need you guys to head over to the western region as soon as possible."

"Why is that?" Espio didn't understand.

Knuckles explained the whole thing through the radio. Vector was horrified. "Oh, God. I can't believe the Phantom Ruby is doing all this. One simple flip of that jewel switch and everything falls apart on us!"

"It's worse to imagine that _he's_ the one causing the chaos and confusion!" Charmy whimpered.

"Don't think about it! We need to get Silver, Blaze, and Snake Squad safe from the destruction! They already have to deal with Infinite's Virtual Reality, and I don't want them to be affected by it to a larger degree! Now get going, ASAP!"

Once Knuckles hung up, Vector and Espio ran over to Raff and the engineers.

"Cancel the laser show, dude," the crocodile told him. "The others will finish off the towers."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"We have to pick up Silver and Blaze. They got struck by Infinite again," Espio shook his head.

Raff's eyes widened. "Oh no... Okay, I'm shutting the machine off. Considering they got hit with Virtual Reality before, I really hope they're okay."

"It's hard to tell. But from what it looks like, we're losing another tough battle. And it hurts more than the others because we had a decent chance this time."

"Does that mean we have to retreat?" Charmy came up to them.

"Not until Knuckles directly tells us to. However, as much as it pains me to say it, it seems like the best we can do now is to live to fight another day. And a day is pretty much all we have plus the remainder of today."

* * *

Back with Team Dark and the Fox Squad, everyone noticed that the main shuttle had left the area and was flying westward. Although it piqued the curiosity of a few people, Shadow was not one of them as he resumed his battle approach. His speed was too quick for the Badniks to notice or even react. They turned into scrap from his spin attacks and punches. Rouge and Omega were next to him as they took down a line of Moto Bugs and an army of Buzz Bombers who nearly stung them.

Although Team Dark was doing fine, it was the opposite for the rest of the group. Collar was knocked with a laser from one of the sentries. His tail caught on fire, and he had to move to safer territory as a precaution. While several of the soldiers easily took down the Egg Pawns, a multitude was stunned by Infinite's presence. The jackal emitted more of the Phantom Ruby's energy to stimulate their senses. Rather than shooting their guns or defending themselves, the affected animals ambled towards them like a mob of zombies. The Badniks got their chance, and they fired at the impotent warriors.

Collar briefly witnessed the horrible fate of his unit. He reached for his radio device. "Commander Knuckles! Commander, do you hear me?!"

"Yes, Collar. What's going on for your end?"

"Like it's an absolute massacre! Infinite eradicated no less than forty soldiers of the Fox Squad in one fell swoop! I don't know if we can hold out much longer!"

"What about Shadow, Rouge, and Omega?"

"They're having better luck than us, but that doesn't mean anything if Infinite targets them next! For all I know, they could get brainwashed and suffer the same fate as my team!"

An audible groan came from Knuckles' receiver. He was not thrilled that Operation Big Wave continued to fall apart. "We're gonna start losing contact with more of our members if Infinite keeps up with this campaign of genocide. Spot already claimed that at least half of his unit were vanquished."

"What?! Are you kidding me?"

"This would be an inappropriate time to joke around, Collar."

"AAAHHHH!"

Loud screams came from the same direction where part of Collar's army met their doom. The huge explosions from Metropolis' robots and towers caused several roads and rails to collapse. More affiliates of the Fox Squad drastically fell to the bottom of the city or were lost in the fire.

Collar resisted to not scream out an expletive. "This is terrible! I don't know if anyone in my squadron has survived!"

This left Knuckles with a tough decision. It was something he didn't want to make, but he had no choice if it meant a chance to live another day and find a way to mount a comeback.

"I'm calling it quits. We have to abandon Operation Big Wave. Call Team Dark to come back with you and the remainder of the 3rd Unit. I'm gonna alert the others right now."

Collar was about to say something, but then he stopped. With the situation at hand, he didn't have a reason to protest. Taking out the Badniks was pure cake. As for Infinite, however, it was like trying to a kid trying to stop a high school bully who was four times his size. Not a single person was able to stop the jackal. And if no one could end his act of violence, what was the point of repressing him?

The canine soldier was startled when he felt a hand behind him. Thinking it was a foe, he almost backhanded the individual. But he was relieved to see Shadow and his team, along with a few animals he knew. He was at least grateful that some of them were alive. It's too bad the same couldn't be said for the majority of his unit.

"He told us the news. I knew this plan would falter from the very beginning," grumbled the black hedgehog.

"Operation Big Wave was an unfortunate failure. We have no feasible option but to retreat to headquarters. Hiding here or fighting would be a death sentence," Omega added.

"What are we going to do now? Do we make a run back to the entrance?"

"No way," Shadow replied. Uncharacteristically, he was going for the safer route. "We're going to camp here away from the sentries and the Badniks until one of the shuttles can pick us up. It's too dangerous to try and leave this city when there's so much destruction out there."

Collar was more entranced about the destruction that he didn't realize that Omega was carrying Rouge in his hands. "Oh, shit... What happened to her?!"

"Infinite succeeded to fool Rouge and attack her by the influence of the Phantom Ruby," the large robot replied. "Current status is unconscious. Time of recovery is indefinite."

Shadow's hands curled, and his eyes were burning red in ire. "Luckily, she isn't dead. But she'll definitely face some hallucinations like we used to."

Collar and several soldiers jumped at the sound of another fiery explosion. Although no one said anything, they had a good idea of what caused it.

* * *

As Sonic and Amy began to encircle the beast, Chaos 2 shapeshifted his mutant form into a gigantic water ball. They awaited him to return to normal.

"I'll get the first hit!" Sonic ran from behind and charged up for a spin attack.

A force field blocked the Blue Blur, but Amy immediately came up to whack him with her hammer. Chaos was stunned as it crushed his face. After regaining his form, his arms extended out to grab the pink hedgehog. One claw nearly caught her waist, but she denied with her mallet, smashing the hand away. The other claw aimed straight for her head, but Sonic stepped in as his quills cut the wrist. Red cubes and glitches spilled from the virtual gash.

"Whew! I appreciate it, Sonic!"

A thumbs-up directed to her. Sonic glared back at Chaos as he returned into a ball shape. The lights of the fake Chaos Emeralds emerged around his body before they glowed brightly, blinding the hedgehogs from where they stood. Chaos got his chance to counterattack, shoving Amy to the ground and crushing Sonic into a pillar.

Sonic struggled to stand up from the impact. His hands quivered as he pushed himself off the floor. Exhaling shaky breaths, he crouched into a running position and leaped over Chaos' head. The monster reached up to block him, but Sonic jumped on his head and pounced him twice when his shield was gone. Both of them continue to alternate jabs and punches at each other while Amy recovered from her fall.

As she got up, she gripped the handle of her hammer and performed a spin jump. Chaos tried to defend himself, but he couldn't regenerate the barrier in time. She easily got an opening to slam the metal weapon against the cranium. The powerful hit caused tons of red cubes to eject from his body. Soon after, the glitches took over until Chaos faded into black and vanished in front of Sonic and Amy.

"Great work, Amy," he wheezed.

"Thanks, Sonic. You alright?"

"Yeah. Just a bit shaken up. When I hit the pillar, it felt like getting thrown into the stone façade in Red Gate. Wasn't as tormenting as the water tank or painful like..." He paused for a second. "...Like the time he beat me up." Amy knew what he was referring, but she let him continue. "I'm still sure Tails is under the influence of the Phantom Ruby which is why he's been acting like a cruel villain. I know that he would never attack me or you guys on purpose – the same way where I wouldn't hurt him. I just want to get him back."

Amy laid a hand on his shoulder. "We will... as long as we search for him. After all, he took Savage with him, and Raff _won't_ happy with that."

"You're right. Let's-" Sonic stopped when he heard his communicator ringing. "Hello?"

"Sonic! I have to call it off!" bellowed Knuckles.

"Call what off?"

"This entire operation. Our Big Wave didn't go as well as I hoped. And our crew is getting decimated as we speak! I already alerted Spot, Collar, Shadow, and everyone else. We have to accept defeat in this battle and regroup to Red Gate this instant!"

"But we can't leave now! Savage got abducted by Infinite!" Amy told him.

"Wait, what? When did that happen?!"

"Several minutes ago. And when he flew away, we got stalled by another fake Chaos."

"Except he was buffed up in his Chaos 2 form, the one that you faced in the Hotel Restaurant in Station Square," Sonic described. "The bottom line is that we need to rescue Savage!"

Knuckles sighed in frustration, loathing himself more than before. "I don't have a clue of Infinite's whereabouts. From what I've gathered, he's been teleporting all over the city, wreaking havoc and washing out our troops. Silver and Blaze nearly got affected by Virtual Reality again, Rouge was unlucky to become a victim, and Savage is currently a hostage."

"That's why we can't leave yet! We're going up north to find Savage! And maybe I can talk some sense out of Infinite and try to get the real Tails back!"

"Fine. I'll let you go. I'm gonna get the Chaotix as reinforcement in case something happens. And that way, you guys can board the shuttle and get the hell out of here. Just be wary out there."

"Gotcha. Come on, Amy! Let's not waste any more time!"

She gave Sonic a nod before they ran to a nearby bumper and soared over to a set of grind rails. The duo searched high and low for their wolf companion and the Ultimate Mercenary. As much as it was difficult to ignore the catastrophic demolition of Metropolis, as well as the troops who lost to Eggman's Badniks, they had to carry forward, their hearts packed with tension and remorse.

* * *

Around the northwest region of Metropolis, Infinite stared off into the distance, watching from the edge of a bridge as Capital City burned and crumbled apart. Eggman's central stronghold remained intact despite a couple of towers that were shot down by the Eagle Squad's aircrafts. Regardless, the damage was done, and the majority of the Revengeful Resistance who invaded the metropolitan were now gone.

It was definitely a positive for Eggman. For Infinite, he was a major contribution to the counterattack. Normally for a robot, fulfilling the doctor's orders would instigate a great sense of pride. Instead, Infinite just stood there. Silently. No head movements, no words spoken, no signs of emotion. Just from looking at his face, it was hard to tell what was running through his mind.

However, when the Phantom Ruby gleamed from his chest, he began an isolated conversation while glancing at the scenery below.

"This was what Eggman wanted. So many useless runts. Tons of ants to crush. They try to recruit as many innocents as they can, yet their numbers continue to get smaller. However, they did manage to recover some of the land back. At least they can put up a decent challenge, but this is nothing but pathetic."

Behind Infinite, Savage was lying on his front. Although he was unconscious, his senses started to work again. Being able to curl his fingers and move his legs, he slowly worked on opening his eyes. At first, he thought his vision was bad, but that's when he realized his glasses were pressed against the floor. He blinked several times before lifting his head. Slowly but surely, he was able to get up, albeit he groaned from the pain he recently endured. As he stretched his back, he heard a loud crack and pop in his right shoulder.

 _"Aw, fuck! What happened to me?"_

By that time, the wolf slowly took in his current location. He was not with Sonic or Amy. He didn't see Knuckles or anyone else from the Resistance. Aside from the broken architecture and the fires, he found himself on a large bridge. And standing ten feet to his left was the perpetrator.

"Shit..."

His whisper was barely loud enough for the jackal to hear. "Hmm... I see you're finished with your nap. Now it's time for you to meet your demise," Infinite faced the wolf.

"Listen, I'm not going to be the wolf who cried 'uncle'. I'm a changed person because of you. I'm no longer that weakling who trembled in fear when you took my brother away from me."

"Ah, yes. I remember that moment."

Savage was a bit shocked to hear him say that. "Y-You do?"

Infinite quickly flew up to him in a red flash until he was literally inches from his face. It was so unexpected that Savage almost fell on his back. He attempted to show a valiant face, but his body language said, 'I'm petrified.'

"It was a dark day in the early month of May. Smoke and flames covered the entirety of Red Gate as I whipped up a bunch of clones to defeat Sonic. Afterward, I ruined more of the city and eradicated so many civilians that there was hardly anyone who survived the invasion. Yet there was at least one person. And that was you. However, it could've been that little, red wolf of yours instead."

Savage's eyes blinked. His teeth gritted, but not in anger. He was more uncomfortable about the jackal talking straight into his ear.

"What's wrong, wolf? You look like you're stuck at a crossroads. I mean, you're technically facing only two options here. You can either try to fight me and die here, or you can run away in fear like the coward you've always been."

A lump was stuck in Savage's throat as his entire body stayed frozen.

"Your little brother was a lot more courageous than what you've shown in your entire lifetime. He had the gall to push you across a large pit so that you could escape safely while barely surviving the attacks. Honestly, it was a pretty, stupid move of him."

Of all the things Infinite said that could trigger Savage, it was _that_ particular phrase.

"Excuse me?" he challenged with a mumble.

"The little guy ends up saving the older one. You know what I say to that? Ridiculous. Also, pitiful. In how many cases has that ever happened? Probably once, and it was a reminder to show how frail you truly are."

"Well, let me say this. I know another younger individual who risked their life for an older person."

"Really? Enlighten me."

Savage's eyes narrowed. "You."

Infinite's eye blinked through his mask. "What?"

"You did, _Tails_."

The jackal emitted a soft growl. "What did you call me?"

"You heard me. Don't try to hide your real identity."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Listen, Tails. I told Sonic that I was going to help him rescue you from Eggman's control. Now that I'm here, I want to fulfill my promise. And in the name of the Revengeful Resistance, I will avenge everyone who has fallen from Eggman's reign, including my parents!"

"You are unwise to challenge me. But if that's what you want, so be it. I will teach you all about fear, then pain, and then... well, at least your fear and pain will end. It will be long and gruesome, that's for sure. So, if you say you're tougher now, then prove it."

 _"Sonic's going to hate me for this, but what other choice do I have?"_

Savage watched the jackal rise into the air as the reddish-purple aura glowed around him. The dark energy consumed both of them as they were transported into an enclosed room in the headquarters. The rookie was slightly disoriented, but he swiftly recuperated. Infinite summoned a few streaks of red cubes that flew across the chamber. Savage waited to time his leaps, and he hopped over one of them. Unfortunately, he ran into the second trail, triggering a set of large, virtual cannons shooting missiles at him. Savage freaked out when he was about to get hit. He was barely fast enough to evade one of them, but he realized he had to juke back and forth as the turrets alternated. Soon, the Virtual Reality projection faded away as the room returned to normal with Infinite.

"You don't have the guts or the abilities to survive this dog-eat-dog world. The strong will always vanquish the weak. Choosing to fight me will be a mistake you're going to regret forever."

Savage ducked underneath more of his homing attacks. _"I just have to keep him at bay and tire him out. I don't want to exactly **murder** him."_

Infinite swooped down at lightning speed and walloped the wolf in the chest. Savage soared back into the wall behind him. His head collided with the metal and raised a hand to rub the wounded spot. Fixing his glasses into place, he gasped when Infinite released more red cubes. He got out his Burst Wispon and incinerated the particles before they reached him. The jackal thought the rookie was diverted that he glided down to punch him again. However, he underestimated Savage's reflexes. He charged the Wispon at the jackal, igniting his fur on fire. Infinite was desperate to extinguish the flames which gave Savage an extra opportunity to attack. With a bit of regret, he jumped in the air and curled up into a ball. He aimed his body directly at Infinite and performed a set of spin attacks.

"AUGH! What the- You can't be _that_ strong! You're supposed to be weak!"

"I'd eat those words if I were you! Maybe you're the weak one!"

The yellow pupil juddered before he leaned back and emanated a blinding, purple radiance. He glowered down at the wolf. "GRRR! I am **_NOT_** weak! Don't say that!"

 _"Okay, I definitely struck a nerve there. C'mon, Savage. Remember, it's Tails, not an actual villain. Don't be so harsh."_

Savage saw several doors open to reveal a bunch of Egg Pawns. Simultaneously, red particles glowed on the floor in two different areas. He had an instinct to run in between before the cubes rose up from the surface and formed two impenetrable walls. The Egg Pawns walked forward to distract the wolf, but he was able to multitask – burning the robots into scrap while minding the Virtual Reality illusions. The more Savage avoided his attacks, the angrier Infinite became.

"Stop moving so I can end our little farce!"

He generated two red energy spheres in his hands and tossed them at Savage. While he destroyed the remainder of the Pawns, the rookie quickly did a backflip to elude both of them. But Infinite threw a third orb that crashed into Savage's forehead. Tumbling backward, he began to lose focus as his vision was blurred by waves of red and black.

"Crud... I can't move..." he struggled to get up.

"This is only the beginning of the end. Your little brother will be so disappointed in you."

"L-Leave Raff out of this..."

"At least he isn't dead. But Sonic will meet his doom."

"Why are you s-saying that? He's your brother, Tails!"

"That is NOT my name! Don't call me that!"

"Not only that, if you were targeting Sonic in the first place, why did you abduct me instead?"

"I've been ordered to not only kidnap Sonic but to afflict psychological and physical pain with the rest of the Resistance. I already wiped out almost all of your troops who raided Metropolis. And you're about to be next on the list."

As soon as he was about to muster up another energy sphere, someone crashed through one of the windows, catching the jackal's attention. The shattered glass fell right near Savage. He barely got a glimpse of the person, who was standing protectively in front of him.

"You!"

"Don't do it, Tails! He's not worth killing at all!" Sonic yelled at him, arms extended out to his sides. Amy hopped through the open hole and watched over Savage, examining his wounds without touching them.

"For the last time, that name means nothing to me! I'm not associated with that little wretch!"

"Tails, don't say that about yourself!"

"What did I just tell you?!"

"Tails, please! Listen to me! That Phantom Ruby is the reason why you've become this twisted fiend! You may be known as Infinite in your current form, but this isn't the real you! I know you're in there, little buddy!" Infinite remained floating in midair. The yellow eye was fixated on Sonic alone. "You're an eight-year-old kid who has the IQ of an adult genius! You're a well-trained pilot who also has the gift of creating tons of unique inventions! You're the one who I found and fostered when no one else cared about you! You're Miles 'Tails' Prower, the only fox I know who has two tails! And most of all, you're my best friend and little bro!"

Savage wasn't able to see Sonic's face, but he did perceive a little crack in his voice when he finished his emotional speech. It happened to be the last thing he heard before his eyes closed and unconsciousness took over.

On the other hand, Infinite remained speechless. All he did was gaze at the blue hedgehog whose face was full of desperation and fear, two things that he hardly expressed. Although he paid no attention to Amy, she had the same feelings, wanting nothing more but to end the war and get their friend back. As it was more personal to him, Sonic hoped he tapped into Infinite's mind to speak with the real Tails.

Seconds slowly passed by before one of them made another move. It was from Infinite. He raised his hands in front of him, observing the front and back of his gloved hands. He then stared down at the ruby glowing in his torso. Infinite turned his head around to see the lonely appendage behind him. All Sonic did was gulp. Amy blinked twice. The jackal returned his gaze towards the hedgehog duo.

 _"Listen very carefully,"_ Eggman's words rang in his head. _"Do as I say, and I will spare you from more retributions. Fail me again, and I will voluntarily capture Sonic by myself. After that, I will force him to watch you die – **for real** – before I completely eradicate him."_

Palms were sweaty. Knees weak, and arms were heavy. His stomach churned to the point where he felt like he was going to vomit. He tried to stay calm and ready to attack out of nowhere, yet he was absolutely _nervous_ on the inside. **_(3)_**

"Tails?" Sonic mumbled.

 _"I won't play the nice guy for you. I'm going to kill him in cold blood."_

Suddenly, Infinite was panting heavily. Sonic and Amy noticed as he began to shake his head. He was quiet for a long time until...

"ARGHHHH!"

Infinite's scream reverberated in the room so loudly that the hedgehogs had to cover their ears. Savage didn't react to the sound at all. The jackal's eye was closed and his hands were clenched as he yelled.

"I'm over this!" Infinite snarled. "Besides, your big plan to invade the city failed, and you basically have less than forty-eight hours until Eggman obliterates Mobius for good. And you," he pointed at Sonic, "I'm supposed to take you to Eggman. But because I can't think straight, I'm going to spare you! And you know what? I don't care if Eggman punishes me again! I'm doing that freak a small favor for now! But I'll be back to end this once and for all!"

Sonic regained his focus as he attempted to call out once more. "Tails, wait!"

By then, the mercenary extended his hands and brought them to his chest. The Phantom Ruby glowed ominously.

"TAILS!" Sonic ran forward, but he was too late as Infinite vanished in plain sight. He fell to his knees and punched the floor in disgrace. An audible grunt escaped his mouth, frustrated that he was unable to talk to Tails and that he didn't rescue him.

"Sonic?"

Amy, who was still next to Savage, slowly walked over and crouched down to his level. She tried to soothe him, rubbing her hand on his back while minding the sharp quills. It hardly worked since his head was down.

"Sonic, I..." She was having trouble finding the right words. "I know how badly you wanted him back. And it's tough that we were unable to succeed. But... we have to move on and try again. We'll regroup at the HQ and come up with a new strategy to save Tails and Mobius."

He never looked up once nor did he speak a word to Amy.

She sighed sadly. "The Chaotix should be here with the shuttle soon. We have to get Savage some medical attention as soon as possible. As for the others... we'll see what we'll do about that. I'm certain Knuckles won't ignore the hard truth."

Indeed, it was not going to be easy to forget about the terror that played out for the Revengeful Resistance. Plenty of soldiers from the Eagle, Snake, and Fox Squads fought as hard as they could only to be destroyed by Infinite and Eggman's army. Even some of their friends were affected, most notably Rouge and Savage. It was by far one of the worst events that took place in the War to Take Back the Planet.

Sonic slowly regathered his strength as he and Amy waited for the shuttle. They took the unconscious wolf with them, only to be met with a traumatized Raff. The red rookie was frightened when he saw that his older brother was not moving. Even though he felt a pulse, it didn't make him feel any better as he knew that death can occur unexpectedly. The Chaotix then asked if they were able to track down Tails. To their discontent, Amy explained everything. They felt terrible and couldn't help but sympathize for Sonic. He was currently sitting on the bench, glancing out the window to view the wreckage across Metropolis.

It wasn't difficult to discern how broken Sonic was, knowing that he had a chance to save the real Tails and missed the opportunity. Ultimately, there was no reason for the Resistance to celebrate or be happy about. Operation Big Wave started with a bang and ended with more tragedy.

Figuring out how to redeem this utter defeat was going to be tough. As if they hadn't dealt with anything more difficult than where they are now.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Jesus, so much stuff just went down. Savage and Rouge are comatose from Virtual Reality, Sonic couldn't get Tails back, and worst of all, a huge chunk of their soldiers were wiped out. Although it was stated that 80% of their forces were gone, there wasn't much else heading into the 'Vs. Infinite' battle. It didn't provoke any sentimental emotions, nor did the characters seem distraught. I hope I was about to make this version a lot more serious and hard-hitting than how it was portrayed in the game._

 _I had to edit this chapter so much since I had written several scenes out, only to scrap them because of repetitiveness. For example, I once had Infinite attack Silver and Blaze to put them through Virtual Reality again. I then switched it to Rouge and Savage. I also had planned Sonic and Savage fight against Infinite, but I listened to SpiderDom321's advice and went with what I've written above. (Thanks again for your help, man!)_

 _Nevertheless, Operation Big Wave is in the books, marking another miserable loss for the Revengeful Resistance. How will the team recover? Will they find a way to break Tails out of his Infinite form? And speaking of him, what exactly happened to him after his fight with Savage? Please follow/favorite for more updates, and review below to let me know how this went. Until then, this is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _This scene was drawn out to eventually set up the Avatar vs. Infinite fight, subsequent to the Capital City stage._

 ** _(2):_** _I gave Chaos another appearance in the story. This time, the clone is in his Chaos 2 form. He has the same abilities and powers as the original from Sonic Adventure._

 ** _(3):_** _Mad props to whoever understands this._


	28. Ch 28: Consequences

_A/N: So, I'm back with another chapter... Yay? Is this a good way to start off? Sorry that it's been a while. But even to this day, I'm still trying to process everything after seeing the Sonic Movie trailer in late April. From first glance, it looks like the entire thing will be one giant, fucking meme once it releases. I've discussed this with one of my friends, and he also thought of the same thing. And I'm beginning to feel more pessimistic than skeptical about the revisions making it any better._

 _On a separate note, I watched Detective Pikachu last weekend even though I don't follow or play Pokémon very much. Yet, they managed to make a solid, live-action movie with great CGI effects. The film isn't entirely perfect, but it's (without a doubt) the best adaptation of a video game converted into a motion picture._

 _Anyhoo, I want to thank you all for waiting patiently, including the new users who favorited and/or followed since Ch. 27. And thanks to SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, Oderus, Leodragon678, cyberkiller125, Alexandria Prime, Black Twilight Wolf, Dayman, Golden Eye, and Guest for your reviews. As for SharpDragonKlaw and Starsing1, I appreciate your support during my finals week. For future reference though (and this goes out to everyone), please do **not** leave a review on an UPDATE, because I'll eventually delete it and replace with an actual chapter sometime later. With that being said, let's return to Revengeful Resistance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Lord, help us all. This movie is going to bring Sonic's reputation to another low if they don't fix this. Regardless, I do not plan on watching it at all. Also, I don't own Sonic or anything under Sega's rights._

* * *

 **Chapter 28:** Consequences

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

While the Revengeful Resistance outside of Metropolis continued to hold their own ground against Eggman's militia, the Fox, Eagle, and Snake Squads underwent the opposite. Three hundred total soldiers entered the futuristic city that morning, a hundred from each squadron. It only went downhill from there. After the surviving members retreated, Knuckles did a headcount; to his dismay, there were less than sixty heads, including himself and his closest allies. He may be grateful (and lucky) that all his friends were alive. Needless to say, he knew that wasn't the point. Over 80% of the combatants from the three units combined were gone. They either got caught in the crossfire, crashed their shuttles from accidents, or became muddled by Infinite's Virtual Reality. It was arguably the worst massacre the Resistance has faced since the start of Eggman's demolition in Red Gate City.

After a long, rough trip, everyone entered the headquarters. Those who were either unconscious or impaired, including Savage and Rouge, were immediately taken to the infirmary. Silver and Blaze were among the injured, and the Chaotix supported them. Raff followed as well, hoping his big brother was still alive. Omega glanced at his hedgehog acquaintance and insisted to be by Rouge's side. Shadow didn't make an edgy comment or a false excuse; he was genuinely (and secretly) agitated about her well-being. He and Omega rushed through the doors while the others stayed put in the computer room. Knuckles caught several glowers from the troops. He didn't need to say anything. He _knew_ the backlash was coming his way.

"Some Operation you executed, Commander," Canary, the same yellow bird from the Snake Squad, rebuked.

"All of our hard work was for nothing! My best friends got killed in the confusion!" Thorn, a light-brown hedgehog, yelled at Knuckles.

"I knew we shouldn't have gone there! Look where that got us!" a gray wolf named Drake scowled.

The other soldiers seethed with loud cries and grunts, criticizing Knuckles for his poor job at running the troops to salvage a victory. They were nowhere close to tasting it, causing the remaining survivors to riot. The rest of the gang could only watch and stand in awkward fashion as the echidna crossed his arms and shut his eyes. Knuckles' head leaned down in shame, having no words or excuses.

"Oh, so now you're not gonna talk or listen to us?!" one of Spot's men snarled. "I can't believe we have a village idiot who thinks that we can take down Eggman and his army. There's no way we're gonna win now, and there's still no way we'll win at all!"

Spot wiped a bead of sweat as he felt bad for his leader. Sonic, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes. The thing is, he wasn't angry at his red-furred partner. He was irate at the rest of the Resistance.

"Hey! That's enough!" he yelled. Many pairs of eyes pointed at him. "You guys were on board the moment after Knuckles came up with Operation Big Wave. You were all determined to raid the city and shut down Eggman's headquarters with vigor and dignity! But it seems like you all lost that spirit. Listen to yourselves! Knuckles is doing the best he could do as a leader, and _this_ is how you're going to treat him? Give the guy a break! He hardly had any sleep last night!"

"He's been like this since you were captured!" a male feline of Collar's Fox Squad retorted. "If you would've saved yourself, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Sonic took two seconds to glare at his face. He sauntered and stood directly in front of him, his nose barely touching the edge of the cat's own. Taking another look at him, he had black fur and a white-furred chest.

"What is your name?"

"Tuxie. **_(1)_** Why do you ask? What's it to ya?"

"Well, _Tuxie_ , I can't do every damn thing to keep all of you alive. In fact, that's what I've been doing ever since Eggman tried to enslave Mobius from the very beginning! Since I defeated him, I took pride in myself and vowed to make sure that he wouldn't do anything like that again. I never asked anyone to make me a hero. I do it because I care about other people's safety...

"It takes guts to go out there and fight for not just my life, but for every other living being on this planet. That's what Knuckles did after Eggman captured me. You should at least appreciate his efforts to get you this far and have a chance at overpowering his legion. Just because we went through another tough battle doesn't give you the right to fully blame him for the loss. Yet you and the others end up doing that. If you think you could do better, try being in Knuckles' shoes and lead everyone to freedom. I won't stop you, and I bet Knuckles won't either."

Tuxie and the other soldiers didn't have a bone to pick with Sonic after his serious talk. His friends were standing behind him, feeling half surprised and half worried that he hasn't blown up in their faces; they legitimately thought his temper would boil up again. The blue hedgehog remained calm yet strict. He didn't want to instigate another altercation, especially when there were tons of potential witnesses around him.

The Commander, who heard every single word from Sonic's mouth, slowly walked up next to him. He laid a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently to alleviate his anger. It helped a little in Sonic's mind. And for Knuckles, he quietly showed his thanks with a nod. Sonic returned the gesture.

"Listen up, everyone," the echidna announced. "I will take full responsibility for the many losses of our men and women who fought in Metropolis." Sonic didn't expect him to say that at all. "I'm also to blame for not leading the others well enough prior to and after Sonic's rescue. But I'm not going to complain about how hard it is to lead thousands of people with little to no experience in battle. Nor will I will think negatively of you guys for being mad at me. I also won't ask you for pardon. The end goal is to make sure our planet is safe. And the only way to do that is to vanquish Eggman and his army...

"While we haven't had too much success in the past, the important thing is that we came back. We all did. We came together as a team to step up and overcome the impossible. With Sonic by our side, both healthy and alive, that was the confidence booster we desperately needed. We gained power and pride to destroy Eggman's robots. We recovered some zones by persevering and taking control. All of us contributed enough to make this war somewhat even. Of course, we haven't exactly reached that threshold. And the recent annihilation of our troops brought us back to reality. However, it was a step in the right direction. We're not going to be perfect, but we need to stay strong and focused if we want to throw down that Egghead for good. And no matter what happens, to reiterate, I will never be mad at anyone here. You all made it to this point, and I appreciate everyone for their efforts."

Everyone in the three units glanced at each other, sympathizing with his speech and feeling sorry for bombarding him earlier.

"I know our window of opportunity is closing by the second, but the ship hasn't sailed just yet. I'll take more time to come up with a strategy, one that is more thought-out so that we won't experience the same kind of fate. And we'll also hold a memorial to commemorate the Mobians who gave it their all today. Until then, please rest. You guys both need and deserve it."

With that, the animals retreated to the dorms until the only ones left in the HQ were Amy, Sonic, and the Resistance leader himself. It didn't take long before Knuckles sighed, downcast from his latest failure. He walked over and leaned against the table in the middle of the room. Amy examined Sonic's face; he looked like he wanted to say something to him.

"I'm going to check on the others in the infirmary."

The blue hero nodded in acknowledgment as he and the commander were in private.

"Knuckles?" Sonic asked softly.

His eyes barely opened, shifting his head a bit to the right where Sonic stood behind him. "Thank you for backing me up," he mumbled.

"No biggie," he waved it off. He maintained a frown when the echidna stayed put. "Hey, Knux? I don't think you should take all the blame. You tried. They tried as well. It just didn't go our way."

He shut his eyes, refusing to look at Sonic. "I wished I would've seen it coming though. It was too predictable that Eggman would resort to Infinite so he could meddle with our invasion. Yet I didn't expect it. That was an opportunity to get Tails back, and I was way too distracted to deter him. And look at what happened. As I said before, I can't be mad at anyone unless that person is me. I can't fault Tails for this since he's causing this destruction against his own will. I'm sorry, Sonic. I let you and everyone else down today."

The hedgehog refused to accept his apology. "Don't say that, Knuckles. While I do admire you for standing up for yourself and accepting responsibility, you didn't do anything wrong. And trust me, you didn't let me down."

"Why not?"

"Because you're diligent." Confused by his reason, he tilted his head to glimpse at him. "You're not entirely focused on one thing, like all those times when you guarded the Master Emerald. Instead, you're more worried about Mobius' future. When I couldn't defeat Eggman six months ago, it was you who took the reins and battled back. As I had no idea what went down here during my imprisonment, I was legitimately scared."

Knuckles blinked. "You? Scared?"

"I've never said it before, but that's how I felt. At the time, when Tails was 'dead', I was worried about you guys. Half of me wished that you were okay and that you might find a way to save me. The other half was me being so scared that I thought I would lose more of my friends. Now that we're here, I'm both happy and relieved you all managed to keep it together and stay alive throughout the war. That's why I believe in you, Knux. That's why we have a chance to win this war, even if it's small at the moment."

Looking down at the floor, the echidna scratched his head. "I don't know how I deserved a friend like you, Sonic. Thanks."

The hedgehog smirked. "That's what friends are for. They're with you all the way no matter what."

"And hopefully, it means we get Tails back."

"I hope so, too. Come on. Let's go see the others now," Sonic said as he walked beside him.

* * *

 _~Savage's POV_

 _..._

 _Location: ?_

Shit... What happened? I feel like I couldn't remember a thing. Nothing but darkness consumed my vision. I couldn't see, hear, or move. Yet I could speak, in my mind, at least. Everything else was a different story. And I'm having a hard time putting the pieces together.

 _"Savage..."_

Savage? What the heck is that?

 _"Savage!"_

Wait a minute. It's slowly coming back to me. Savage – that's my name! But... who was that voice? I swear, it sounded familiar to me.

Not only that, where the hell am I?

Since I'm debilitated, I tried to remember the last thing that occurred prior to my coma, or whatever you want to call it. To be frank, I don't know how long I've been knocked out. All I know for now was that my name was Savage, I wear glasses, and I'm in the middle of nowhere. That last part made no sense to me, but I soon came to realize that I must be in a dream or something. The real me must be out cold, and I'm his subconscious in this anomalous space.

Am I confusing you? I probably am.

I'm still trying to think. The same questions kept repeating in my head.

 _"Don't do it, Tails! He's not worth killing at all!"_

What the heck? That was another person, different from the first one I heard. His voice was much deeper, and he sounded a lot more concerned.

Tails... Have I heard of that name before? Wait, I have! He's the famous two-tailed fox and Sonic's best friend. Now that I think about it, that voice must've been Sonic! Alright, I'm off to a decent start. Now, what else happened? Sonic was calling out his friend for some reason, and then...

An epiphany struck my mind. I remember when and where he said that. I was stuck in Eggman's headquarters back at Metropolis when everyone in the Resistance was trying to take down the city. It didn't work out though, and I was taken by Tails in his Infinite form. I tried to keep him aside so that neither one of us would kill the other. I never had a purpose to murder Tails. It was the opposite case for Infinite. He nearly got me, but Sonic came to my aid in time. That was when I heard him yell those words. And the two went back and forth. Sonic, of course, was trying to get into Infinite's head so he could speak to the real Tails. And that was the last thing I remember.

So now that I know the context of what transpired before I fell into unconsciousness, I have to figure out where am I now. As I regained all of my senses – check that, some of them, I was able to open my eyes. I could feel my glasses being pressed to the ground. Oh, man. I hope these didn't get cracked as well. I fixed them on my face, allowing me to see clearly again. Thankfully, they weren't broken. Eerily enough, I didn't see anything around me. Again, there was nothing but a black expanse. Great, that doesn't answer my last question.

To make matters more irritating, I can't even push myself off the ground. My body wouldn't cooperate; my arms and legs also refused to help. Even better.

 _"Savage!"_

Why was my name being called again? And why does it sound recognizable? It's on the tip of my tongue, but who is it?

 _"Savage!"_

Suddenly, I found myself in a place that I once knew. Why did I know about this instantly? Because it was where I lived for the first twelve years of my life.

I also found myself lifted off my feet. Whether it's by magic or some mysterious force, I could only shrug at this point. The entire world around settled into form, and I found myself enjoying lunch in the kitchen with my family on a sunny day. Across the table was my mother, Leia. And my father, Phoenix, was sitting to my left. Then there was... Oh my god. How did I almost forget? That voice came from Raff. And I saw him sitting to my right.

For some reason, it was peculiar that I'm somehow back here at my old home in Green Hill. I remain befuddled because of this. By then, I saw my dad get up from his seat to grab a drink from the fridge. His ears twitched, and his head perked up in a quick second. I noticed him glancing out the window, curiously gazing the outside scenery.

Wait, why does _this_ seem familiar to me?

I pondered for a long time while sitting in my chair. And out of nowhere, my own ears detected a strange noise. There was a beep, a couple of loud crashes, and some heavy footsteps.

Before I could even question, my dad yelled at my mom. _"Honey, grab the kids and run!"_

 _"I'm sorry, what?"_ I heard Leia.

 _"Go out the back!"_

 _"But why?"_ Raff asked.

Eggman unexpectedly crashed through our kitchen with his Badniks while Phoenix defended the three of us. As our mom carried us away, I yelled for my father.

 _"Dad!"_

By then, he was taken by a claw. My mother wouldn't let me or Raff go as we escaped our home. Suddenly, there were glitches coming from Phoenix's body. Immediately, he dematerialized.

My head began to spin in pain. Why am I being mentally tortured again? Why did it have to be this memory?! And why did my dad vanish into red cubes?!

...

...

...

That's when I realized it.

I was back at the moment when I lost my parents. I was reliving my past. All because of Virtual Reality.

Soon, I found myself running with my little brother while Leia tripped behind us. Eggman then abducted our mom as we made it to the boat. And like my dad, my mom was also gone from the glitches. **_(2)_** As if things couldn't get weirder, the boat collapsed beneath our feet, vanishing as the red cubes spread across the area. The entirety of Green Hill also fell apart. I was screaming at the top of my lungs as I waited to hit the ground. But considering that I'm falling into a bottomless abyss, I was helpless.

Eventually, I actually landed on solid ground. Hitting it hard, I felt like I broke my jaw. Augh... Yeah, that _really_ fucking hurt. It was all black around me, similar to how I found myself at the beginning of this nightmare. I can't even imagine where this is going next. It couldn't get worse, can it?

"Savage!"

I take it all back.

Spinning around, my mouth was agape when I saw Raff floating in midair. He was the one calling out to me from the get-go. I tried to run up to him, but I was stopped when the entity holding Raff revealed himself. He blasted a sphere of red energy at me, bringing me back to the floor as my legs struggled to move. Infinite had my brother in his grasp, trapping him in a chokehold. With his free hand, the jackal conjured another blast of red cubes when the Phantom Ruby energized on his chest. I was about to counter with my Burst Wispon, only to fathom one major flaw.

This was Virtual Reality. I didn't have my weapon with me.

Unable to defend myself, all I could do was cover my face with my hands and arms. It didn't help at all as I took another hit.

"Savage, no!"

I fought off the discomfort despite how severe the burn was. My teeth gritted in anger as I couldn't do anything to save him.

No, I can't go back down that road. I just can't!

"Here I thought wolves were well-known hunters. But it looks like you still haven't changed from the start. You're simply weak prey, awaiting their untimely death by someone who's more superior than them. And I think I'll get started with the runt."

Please, no...

"NO! SAVAGE, HELP!"

 _"C'mon, body! Get up, damn it! I can't lose him again!"_

"Say your last goodbye. It's all you will get."

"RAFF!"

 _~End of POV_

* * *

"No! Leave Raff alone! Don't kill him!"

"Savage! Savage!"

"Raff, I'm sorry!"

"Savage!"

"HUH?!"

The orange-furred rookie woke up in shambles, unable to shake off all the horror he dreamt recently. Savage tried to see what was in front of him, but his glasses were taken off when he was admitted to medical attention. He did, however, felt a pair of arms hugging him tightly.

"Savage! You're awake!"

"Easy there, bud," Knuckles lightly pulled him away, not too much to where he would've separated him from his sibling. "We don't want to aggravate his injuries."

"W-Where are my glasses?"

"Here, Savage," Amy directed him. As he moved his head to the left, the pink hedgehog carefully placed them on his face. He sighed once he saw Amy's emerald pupils.

"Thank you." He then saw everyone glancing at him. Shadow and Omega, however, were next to Rouge's bed. "Um, no offense, guys, but you're making me feel uncomfortable."

"Sorry, dude. We were all equally worried about you," said Vector.

Savage managed to sit upright against his pillow with Raff helping him. The younger brother sat next to him on the mattress. "What exactly happened? Are we back at the headquarters?"

"Yes," Espio responded. "You and Rouge were struck by Infinite's Virtual Reality projection. Silver and Blaze are slightly wounded; luckily, they didn't suffer from it again."

"What about Operation Big Wave?" That was when everyone's faces dropped. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, no, Savage... It's fine. Well, actually, it's not," answered Amy.

"What happened?" he cautiously questioned.

Knuckles deeply sighed before he gave him the bad news. "I had to call it off when many of the Fox, Snake, and Eagle Squads were vanquished. At the time, Sonic and Amy went to search for you when Infinite captured you."

"Amy and I were able to prevent him from hurting you even more. But he already did the damage. We figured you got knocked out by the Phantom Ruby, so you were taken to safety. That was when we all saw you squirming in your bed," Sonic added.

"Really?" Savage's eyes enlarged. The Blue Blur nodded at him.

"You were screaming, too," Charmy pointed out. "Everyone was caught off guard, especially Raff."

The wolf glanced down at the red rookie. Tears were threatening to fall down from his eyes. Savage tried to comfort him by pulling him in a strong, one-arm hug. He gently caressed Raff's head and soothed him with whispers.

"Shh... It's alright, Raff. I'm still here. And thank Chaos, you're still alive."

Raff was a bit more relaxed than before. Then, he pulled away after he heard that last sentence. "What do you mean by that?"

 _"Aw, crap."_

"Savage, are you comfortable talking about what you saw?" Knuckles wondered.

He decided that he would regret his decision later. The wolf explained his horrid nightmare to his friends. All of them were either shocked, rattled or both. Shadow didn't show his face to the others since he was focused on Rouge. He did hear everything. To say the least, he was a bit shaken up. His heart wasn't made of glass, but he wasn't callous like Eggman or Metal Sonic.

"Losing Raff is still my biggest fear ever since Eggman captured and killed my parents. If I lose him, then I'd be all alone. I wouldn't be able to stand it if that happened. I'll feel like a disgrace, to my family, and to you guys."

"Savage," his brother got his attention. "I'm still here with you. But you haven't let me or our new friends down. And I'm sure Mom and Dad are proud of you for making it this far. You've gotten better and stronger since you joined the Resistance."

"It's true," Sonic backed him up. "You showed a lot of guts to take down Eggman's army and help me escape the Death Egg. You're not a disgrace; you're a hero."

"You really think so?"

"I don't think so. I know so!" he winked with a signature thumbs-up.

That definitely comforted the teenage wolf as he smiled. "Thanks for making me feel better."

"Don't worry, man. You've been a great contributor since your first day," Knuckles commended. "Of course, you're going to need a lot of rest after Infinite attacked you. We also hope Rouge will wake up soon."

"How's Silver and Blaze?"

"We're still in it," Silver reassured. "We might need the whole day to recover again, but we'll be better soon. At least, I hope so."

"Same here. I'm sure everything will be fine for us," stated Blaze.

"As of now, we need a long break after Big Wave didn't go well. Hopefully, we'll all be back on track."

"Knuckles, you should get some rest as well," Amy distinctly suggested. "After all, you didn't get much sleep prior to our ambush. You must be very exhausted."

A long yawn from his mouth supported her claim. "I guess so. You don't mind if I do?"

"Of course not. Things have been stressful on your end for the past several days. Being a commander is not an easy task."

"In that case, I'm going to retire to my dorm. But if anyone needs me for anything, don't hesitate to talk to me. Otherwise, I'll put Sonic and Amy in charge until I'm recharged." Knuckles was about to exit the infirmary until he stopped at the double doors. "Oh, and before I forget, thanks for not being mad at me about our defeat. I appreciate your support."

"No problem, Knuckles. Now get on out of here," Sonic waved him off.

He was unenthused by the hedgehog's response, but he smirked and shook his head before leaving.

Sonic went over to Shadow who hasn't moved from his spot. "How's Rouge?"

"Improving. That's the only good news out of it," he bluntly replied.

"Death does not seem evident for our winged companion," Omega predicted. "Pulse is still beating normally. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that she cannot recuperate anytime soon. Virtual Reality more than likely hit her harder than the rookie. But knowing how others recovered after several hours, the likelihood of that is approximately equivalent for Rouge's case."

"I can't imagine what kind of mental nightmare she's experiencing."

"It'll probably be as horrendous as our own," Shadow cringed.

Sonic didn't have a witty comment knowing how serious his counterpart was. He gave him a small squeeze on his shoulder. Shadow didn't react negatively or shove him off. The black hedgehog quietly accepted his gesture.

The energy in the Resistance HQ was solemn and silent. Everyone was situated to rest for the entire afternoon, looking to bounce back and keep their heads above water. At the moment, there were about forty hours remaining until Eggman's plan for domination would commence. If only they had an answer to prevent the end of Mobius.

* * *

 _Location: Eggman Empire Fortress_

This was the location where the doctor initially designed his master plan to eradicate the Revengeful Resistance.

It was also the place where Eggman secretly took Tails after he abducted him.

And it was where the two-tailed kitsune became the Ultimate Mercenary.

Eggman returned to his secret hideout up in the mountains following Infinite's tune-up of the Phantom Ruby. However, he still didn't fully trust the jackal given how he had failed to meet his expectations on numerous occasions. The doctor believed he was going to screw up yet again.

And his prediction was right on the nose.

By the time he found out that Infinite fled from Metropolis, Eggman ordered him to report to the Empire Fortress up north. The mercenary didn't dare to hide like the one instance he did in Green Hill. Currently, Infinite was locked behind bars in a dark cell inside one of the buildings of Eggman's fortified stronghold. A mechanical door in that same room opened up. White light from the back shone inside, causing the jackal to flinch. He barely moved his masked head, only to see Orbot and Cubot holding a set of chains. Standing behind the small robots was none other than the merciless mastermind.

Infinite lowered his head back to the metal floor as he couldn't bear the unimpressed look on Eggman's face.

"I gave you a simple command. Defeat your best friend, bring him to me, and I get to end him with my own two hands. In exchange, I will stop with the inflictions against you. But what can I say? I should've known you wouldn't be up to the task. You know what this means, _right_?" he growled at the last word.

Not a single word came from his mouth.

Eggman groaned annoyingly. "Giving me the silent treatment, aren't you? That's not going to change anything. If you-"

"Stop," Infinite pleaded. "I don't care anymore. You might as well end my own suffering. I deserve it after all."

"You fool... You do remember why I made you my most powerful assistant, correct?"

Infinite didn't need this spiel again.

"You're supposed to be part of the reason why he should be dead! Until that happens, I'm going to keep you alive just so you could witness it for yourself. Then, I'll scrap your body with his! I'm not letting you get away that easily. You're still under my control." Eggman paused to quell himself. "Now then, shall we get started on your next punishment?"

Infinite was expecting another round of being electrocuted. However, when Eggman snapped his fingers, a large ceiling lamp outside of his cage turned on. With his only eye, the jackal looked over to his left. A shuddering gasp escaped his concealed mouth once he spotted what lied beneath the light.

It was a tank filled with five feet of water. **_(3)_**

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _What a surprise. I'm still a dickhead to Tails even though he's one of my favorite characters. It's sadly a guilty pleasure of mine, making my favorite characters suffer. If you don't believe me, you should see how I treated Luigi in Hidden Bravery. And if you're going to complain about it, you might as well. That's not going to stop me._

 _The aftermath of Operation Big Wave has put a negative effect on both the Resistance and Eggman's legion. For the heroes, Rouge is still unconscious, Knuckles had to deal with criticism and backlash, Savage endured a terrible flashback from Virtual Reality, and the others have to sadly move on after losing more fighters. On the villains' side, Eggman won't be satisfied until Sonic is deceased, and Infinite... well, you already know his case._

 _Next time on Revengeful Resistance, Raff uses his skills to deduce the secret powers of the Phantom Ruby. Can he come up with a solution to override its negative energy? And later, another outbreak causes more dangerous activity in Red Gate City. Who is causing the trouble, and who will aim to stop the intruders?_

 _Until then, let me know how this went by reviewing down below. If I made any errors, point them out and I'll fix them. Click the 'Follow/Fav' button to catch up on more updates. And I'll see you all later for Ch. 29! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _The cat's name and appearance are based on my friend's actual pet. Unlike the character in this story, Tuxie is actually calm and relaxed every time I see him. He usually likes to walk up to people's legs and meow a lot. And I mean, a LOT. He's named Tuxie because his fur resembles the standard colors of a tuxedo. (This has nothing to do with Sonic or the game.)_

 ** _(2):_** _Part of Savage's nightmare in Virtual Reality takes him back to the day he lost his parents. This was originally from Ch. 3. (It's been a LONG time since I posted that, huh?)_

 ** _(3):_** _Another throwback here as I referenced the water tank Sonic endured during his six-month imprisonment. You honestly don't need more context to tell where I was going when I ended it there._


	29. Ch 29: Bridge Over Troubled Waters

_A/N: So... The movie's getting updated and delayed for reconstruction. Again, I'm more pessimistic than skeptical or sanguine. But this kind of announcement is something I can't complain too much about. Until we see more, my viewpoint will stay put. And I still don't think I'm going to watch it. Regardless, we'll have to wait._

 _Speaking of waiting, thanks to everyone for being patient for a new chapter of Revengeful Resistance. As a warning, however, one scene will entail suggestive behavior. I tried not to be specific or vivid._

 _Anyway, let's return to the action! And special thanks to Dayman, Tiger of Darkness, cyberkiller125, Golden Eye, Alexandria Prime, Oderus, Leodragon678, SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, and the two Guests for reviewing since the last update!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Sega owns all the rights to Sonic the Hedgehog. _

* * *

**Chapter 29** : Bridge Over Troubled Waters

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

Several hours elapsed since the Revengeful Resistance retreated to home base after Operation Big Wave didn't go as planned. Because of this, the first three units have settled to rest, disengaging in any sort of combat or activity. If there was any good news, the remaining squads of soldiers have continued to suppress Eggman's robots in other regions. By then, the heroes have managed to recover less than 30% of Mobius. Nonetheless, the Eggman Empire still had control for over three-quarters of the planet.

Red Gate has remained quiet for the most part aside from the Death Egg Sentinels roaming the city. Everyone has struggled to find a weak point to destroy the monstrous robots, but every tactic they've tried has not been successful. As the sun began to set on the horizon, Raff was working in the computer room. He decided to research the files he copied from Eggman's Chemical Plant database, hoping to find any clues or ideas on how to defeat the humongous robots. While the wolf was busy scrutinizing, the Chaotix lounged around the large table.

"Hey, Charmy. Toss me another Chao Cola," said Vector.

The bee grabbed a glass bottle from the fridge and handed it to him. The crocodile cracked the lid open from the edge of the table and chugged it in less than ten seconds.

"Isn't that the third bottle you've downed already?" Espio queried.

He finished drinking and threw the empty glass into the recycling bin. "What? I'm still thirsty. I want to drown my sorrows after what happened in Metropolis."

"And you're acting nonchalant about it?"

A loud belch came out of Vector's mouth. He coughed once before responding. "I'm not being nonchalant. I'm disappointed. We didn't get the job done, and we failed both Knuckles and the entire Resistance."

"That doesn't mean that we lost the war though," Charmy kept his head up. "I know our battle plan ended terribly, but we've overcome stuff that's just as worse."

"You got that right, at least."

"Of course, we really don't know how to stop Tails from doing all the bad stuff with the Ruby."

"Raff, aren't you looking up anything to solve this problem?"

"I will in a minute, Espio. As much as that's a big issue to deal with, we can't ignore the Death Egg Robots either. Last time I checked, there were four of them out there. The only reason why they haven't been active is that they haven't detected anyone out on the streets recently. Otherwise, we would hear lasers and people screaming."

"I always hate it when those robots light up their eyes and start to eerily target us. It's even more terrifying if someone were to play piano music in the background. **_(1)_** That would be the definition of fear!" Charmy had his hands near his teeth.

"Where'd you get that idea from?" Vector tilted his head.

"I don't know. It just kind of popped in my head."

"Hey, guys? I don't mean to be rude here, but I can't quite focus if it's not quiet in here," Raff spoke.

"Sorry, little guy. I'm gonna head up to our room and rest for a bit. That way, you can keep working."

"I appreciate it, Vector."

"I'm going to do the same as well. But make sure you also get some rest so that we can be ready next time."

"Of course, Espio."

"I guess I'll head out, too. Good luck, Raff."

"Thanks, Charmy."

The young wolf watched the Chaotix leave the room before he returned his gaze towards the large screen. While he continued his investigation, he wondered how the others were doing. To his knowledge, he already knew Knuckles went to bed since he had a lack of sleep the night prior. Silver and Blaze were being tended in the infirmary again. Amy left a while ago because she was lending an extra hand to carry some necessities, such as water, to the base. Rouge has yet to wake up. And Savage... he prayed that his brother was recovering quickly. Realistically, however, it might take until the following morning for him to be up and running again. If so, the wolves and their friends would only have less than twenty-four hours remaining before Eggman initiates his so-called scheme.

Pushing the time restraints aside, the red-furred rookie resumed his previous actions.

* * *

Sonic opened the fridge, gazing at the contents inside as he prepared to make dinner. He saw a plate of leftover chili dogs, covered under some plastic wrap. It was the same set of chili dogs Amy cooked on the day he was rescued. The hedgehog grabbed two chili dogs, not bothering to recover the rest appropriately, and placed them on a separate dish. He tossed them into the microwave and waited for them to heat up. Tapping his shoe and crossing his arms, he heard the kitchen doors open. Sonic turned around to see Shadow, appearing very solemn. Then again, he generally looked like that 24/7. However, Sonic could tell something was wrong.

"What's up, Shadow?"

The black hedgehog opened his eyes, his red pupils glaring down at the tile floor. Sonic was about to open his mouth and ask another question until he beat him.

"She's awake."

Sonic blinked. "You mean Rouge?" A silent nod of the head came from Shadow. "Well, that's good news to hear."

Shadow, whose head was still down, was anything but ecstatic. It was for a certain reason though.

"Aren't you relieved she's up?"

"I am."

"Then why do you look so glum?"

"It's about her nightmare," he mumbled.

Sonic's face paled. "Oh. Did she tell you?"

Another nod. His hands curled into fists. "It's too graphic to know. If I'm going to be honest, I think it's worse than what any one of us has suffered from Virtual Reality."

"How so?"

"I already said the disclaimer. But do you really want to know?"

Sonic can see it in Shadow's face that he was revolted. Whatever happened in Rouge's thoughts must have been harrowing. Despite the warning, curiosity killed him on the inside.

"What did she dream about?"

A gruff sigh escaped his mouth. "Rouge was dealing with a recon mission out in Red Gate until she got a call from me. The thing is, it was a clone of myself who talked to her. Rouge didn't fathom that she was being deluded."

The loud beeping of the microwave rang behind Sonic. Shadow narrowed his eyes, annoyed by the sound. Sonic pulled the microwave door open and closed it to stop.

"Sorry. Continue."

"As I was saying, Rouge got duped by a faker who got ahold of my communicator. She was told to meet near a dark alleyway of the city. By the time she got there, she saw the real me, knocked down and stabbed with a wrench." He paused when Sonic quietly gasped. "Ironic, ain't it?"

Rather than answering the question, the Blue Blur gulped. "What happened then?"

"She realized the set-up a second too late. She got surrounded by my clone and a bunch of jackals that came out of the shadows. Rouge tried to defend herself, but they got to her immediately. One of them kicked her in the groin. Another pushed her from behind, hurting her wings. And when she was down on the ground, a different jackal dared to rip apart her black catsuit..."

Shadow didn't say another word as he grimaced to himself.

Meanwhile, Sonic's eyes bulged wide open as he slowly gathered everything he was told, reaching an egregious conclusion.

"You don't mean... She got..."

Not needing to say it out loud, Shadow bobbed his head in chagrin.

Sonic's teeth clenched in pure ire. "I can't believe it. That is so fucked up!"

"She ended up in turmoil after she told me everything. Silver, Blaze, and Savage all heard it as well. While it may not be real, it was sure as hell traumatic. The other reason why I'm upset is that I felt like I couldn't help her recover from such a daunting, vulgar nightmare. I hardly did anything considerate. I didn't have words to soother her. Only the others did. And I'm ashamed of myself for not being there."

Sonic slouched his shoulders. He had hardly, or rather _never_ , seen how despondent Shadow appeared; it was such a rare moment. There was something Sonic got out of this. Simultaneously, both of them were hurt because they couldn't help someone they deeply care and trust. Rouge, in Shadow's case; and Tails, for Sonic's.

"Shadow?"

The Black Blur reluctantly looked up to him. He remained quiet and allowed Sonic to continue.

"I kinda feel like we're in the same boat, you know? We want to support our friends even though we seem helpless at this point. But I'm sure we can turn this ship around. We just can't think of the negatives all the time."

Shadow has stood silently for a while, his eyes gawking down at his feet. "As much as I think of how everything could go awry, you're not wrong. It's tough to deal with, yet we have a chance for redemption. At least the other squads are vanquishing Eggman's legion. If only we had a vital piece of information to stifle Infinite from using the Phantom Ruby."

"Do you think Raff could help us out? He's pretty smart, and I think he's doing some research on the computer."

"I guess that's a good start. Come on. Let's head over," Shadow began to leave.

"Wait," Sonic paused.

He turned around. "What?"

"I haven't eaten my chili dogs," he pointed back at the microwave.

"Just me meet there when you're done." Shadow resumed walking as he left the kitchen. While Sonic got his food, he didn't notice the eye roll on the black hedgehog's face.

* * *

After Sonic finished his dinner, he entered the main hub of the HQ. Shadow was already there, and Raff, who never moved from his spot, was occupied on the computer. Both of them were looking at the blueprints of the Death Egg Robots.

"Whatcha up to, Raff?"

"Oh, hi, Sonic. Considering those Sentinels are still out there, I was wondering if I could discover a weak point. I've come to a conclusion, although I'm not entirely sure it will work."

"What did you come up with?"

"Here's my thought," he showed a picture of the huge mech. "If two people can spin dash with enough speed and force, they can double boost into the eye socket of the Sentinels. From there, they have to dig their way into the core and immobilize their processors from within."

"Interesting," Sonic lifted a hand to his chin. "I can handle one-half of the job there. I'm already fast!"

"You're likely going to need a partner who can also boost with you."

Sonic turned to his dark-furred counterpart. "Shadow?"

"Say no more. I had the same thought. I'll join you." **_(2)_**

"Sounds great! It's been a while since we teamed up together! I know we'll be unstoppable. Just watch out for me when I speed ahead of you."

Shadow scoffed. "Please, I'm the Ultimate Life Form. I'm as fast, if not _faster_ , than you."

"Oh, is that another bet I smell?" a playful grin appeared on Sonic's muzzle.

"Maybe. Just don't come crying when I outrun you."

"Oh, you're on, buddy."

"Don't call me that. But yeah, I'm up to the challenge," Shadow sneered.

Suddenly, everyone heard the front doors burst open. Spot and Collar were panting heavily, their hands planted against their knees and sweat running down their heads.

"Spot! Collar! Why are you so frazzled?" asked Sonic.

"We were... trying to get... supplies over... to the headquarters," Collar wheezed uncontrollably.

"But we got... ambushed," Spot coughed. "Nearly got s-struck... by the Death Egg Robots."

"That's terrible!" gasped Raff.

Spot was able to catch his breath, but his face remained flustered. "If you think that's terrible, we also saw Metal Sonic wandering the city!"

"Metal Sonic? Is it the real one or another phony?" Shadow inquired.

"We couldn't tell," Collar shook his head. "Just from our perspective, we were far away when he spotted him. It was tough to see if he had those red glitches around his body or not."

"Nevertheless, he's been attacking more of the city as an act of retribution!" Spot worried.

"Wait a minute. Wasn't Amy helping you with the supplies?" recalled Raff.

"Metal better not have kidnapped her!" growled Sonic. He remembered the very first time that occurred. **_(3)_**

Just then, the pink hedgehog rushed into the HQ, nearly bumping into Spot and Collar in the process. The soldiers stopped her in time to prevent her from falling.

"Amy! Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she rasped heavily. "I was carrying packs of water for the troops. But I ended up dropping one and ran for my life when I nearly got shot. Did Spot and Collar tell you already?"

"About Metal? Yeah."

"Do _you_ think he's real or not?" questioned the black hedgehog.

"I'm almost certain he's just a clone. At least, that's what my eyes saw."

"You mean you noticed those red cubes and sparks around him?" Spot wondered.

"Well, honestly, I'm not entirely sure. I'm basing it off on what I saw. It did feel like he was made from Virtual Reality, yet it was hard to discern because of the sunset's glare."

"That's what we thought, but for a different reason," Collar mentioned.

"You know what bothers me about that?"

"How so?" Amy looked at Sonic.

"It doesn't make much sense to me on why Eggman would have Infinite spawn out clones of a robot that he created. I mean, Metal Sonic is technically a real living thing."

"A living thing that likes to _kill people_ ," Spot emphasized.

"Right. Still, I don't get it. Couldn't Eggman and his army just build more robots? Why would they create another fake out of something that already isn't real?"

"Well, remember what Eggman wrote in his journal, Sonic?" reminded Raff. "He explicitly stated that he doesn't want the real Metal Sonic to be lurking or in the line of fire because he doesn't want him to be disabled again."

"Which means he'd have to reboot him like every other time he got whitewashed," Collar realized.

"Exactly. All the times Metal Sonic has been detected are nothing but counterfeits. During Sonic's defeat, when Silver and Blaze fought him in the Death Egg, the other moments when he ambushed Red Gate, the list goes on. Since that's been the case, Eggman's likely playing it safe for the real Metal Sonic. And I'm bound to expect that he wants to utilize him when his ultimate plan is initiated."

"And what exactly is that doctor up to?" Spot inquired.

A sigh came from Raff. "I wish I could figure that out. Eggman's smart to not keep a record of that in his database. Whatever it is, it's top secret to himself. All we have is what we found in the Chemical Plant's computer. I'm trying everything I can to figure out something, especially a way to neutralize the Phantom Ruby."

"I'm sure you'll figure out something, bud," Sonic reassured.

"You think so?"

"I can bet on that. And you wanna know why?" Raff nodded in curiosity. "Believe me or not, you remind me a lot about Tails." That surprised everyone in the room. "You may be a young kid, but age is just a number. I've seen you work your way out of things by strategies and critical thinking, just like he does. You're also loyal to your older brother. And you try your hardest to do the right thing. That's why Savage believes in you. And I feel the same way."

Raff was at a loss for words on his sincere compliment. It took a while for him to muster up something. "That's... wow. Sonic, that means a lot to me. Never have I ever thought a guy like you would say something like that to me. Thanks."

Sonic smiled. "Hey, I should be thanking you. If it weren't for you and your brother, you wouldn't have helped my friends fight back against Eggman. And I wouldn't have escaped the Death Egg without your aid."

"It's no problem. And listen, I know how much it hurts to get through all this. But we'll all keep our chins up for you. We'll make sure to free Tails from Eggman. We won't let that oversized chump rule the world."

"I appreciate it. And I'm on the same page with that last sentence," Sonic reached his clenched hand out to Raff. The wolf understood his gesture and gave him a solid fist bump.

"Alright, alright. Enough with the whole 'friends helping friends' spiel," Shadow huffed. "Let's get back on track already. Sonic and I will go out into the city to obliterate those Death Egg Robots. I'll also get Omega to join us as an extra ally. In the meantime, we'll keep an eye out for Metal, real or not."

"Do you want us to come with you?" Spot offered.

"As much as we would like it, I think you and Collar should rest in preparation for tomorrow," Sonic suggested. "You guys did a lot today, and we don't want to fatigue you even more."

"If you say so. Either way, good luck out there," Collar saluted before he and Spot left the room.

"Amy, you should stay here, too."

"I guess that's the best option. I did almost get hurt out there."

"It's not your fault. Just want to look out after you."

"How adorable," Shadow teased. "Keeping your girlfriend safe from the dangers outside. It makes me want to throw up, but at the same time, it's nice to know you care about her so much."

Sonic's cheeks flushed in a crimson red. "H-Huh?! Sh-Shadow! What are you talking about?! I mean, yes, I was just- But it's not like... E-Eh... You see... Uh... I-"

"I rest my case. I'll go get Omega, and you try to work on your articulation."

Raff covered his mouth with his hand to hold in a laugh. Amy turned her head away to hide her own blush.

Sonic, slightly embarrassed, shifted over to talk. "Amy, I-"

"Don't worry, Sonic. I understand what you mean by those words. Trust me, I'm not mad. Just... thanks for being thoughtful."

Feeling a bit relieved after all that, Sonic let out a gentle breath. "You're welcome, Ames," he gave a small grin.

She decided to head upstairs to sleep, leaving Raff and Sonic alone. The red wolf returned his attention to the computer. This time, he shifted his focus on the Phantom Ruby. While he was busy, Shadow returned with Omega by his side.

"I'm ready to head out, and so is Omega."

"Affirmative. Shadow has conveyed all the important information. We shall eliminate the Sentinels effortlessly."

"And hopefully, we'll stop Metal in his tracks."

"Good luck out there. If you need assistance, don't forget to contact the base. I'll try to get to you as soon as possible."

"Thanks, Raff," Sonic winked. "Let's move out!"

* * *

 _Location: Red Gate City_

On the edge of a cliffside, Omega, Shadow, and Sonic stared off in the distance to see the colossal, spherical sentries. They haven't perceived any movement or intrusion since the soldiers have evacuated the area. But if the Resistance wanted to keep the city as safe as possible, their first goal was to tackle the robots.

"There is no indication that Metal Sonic is in close proximity to our current site," reported Omega. "City route should be clear to pass through and invade enemy territory."

"On the count of three, we ride off into the sunset?" Sonic glanced at Shadow, who gave him a nod. "Okay. Three!" he immediately rushed down the hill.

Shadow realized his trick and scoffed. "And just like that, he goes from serious and sympathetic to his usual cocky self. I swear to Chaos, I still don't know why I tolerate this immature hog to this day."

"Perhaps you seek determination whenever you two engage in some form of rivalry, whether it's friendly or uncongenial."

"It must be the second option," he crossed his arms.

"Negative. You don't need to conceal your feelings for the Blue Blur."

Shadow gazed at Omega with disgust. "Feelings? The fuck do you think is?! Don't give people the wrong idea!"

"I was insinuating friendly relationships with him, not the other kind."

"Ugh... If people start to question about this, I'm blaming you."

Omega didn't respond as he and Shadow blazed downhill to catch up to Sonic. Ten seconds haven't gone by and they were already bombarded with Egg Pawns and other Badniks. Shadow skated his way to trounce on one-half of the foes while Omega fired his cannon to blow up the remainder. They made their way to a small viaduct where Sonic was busy spin dashing a trio of robots.

"Hey, you caught up!"

"Of course we did. Because you ran ahead of us!"

"Sorry. I didn't know you were that slow."

Shadow was about to retaliate for his arrogance, but he suddenly saw a Death Egg Robot approaching them. As the gigantic mech began to fire, Shadow pushed Sonic out of the way. Omega levitated backward as the Sentinel destroyed the bridge, leaving a large gap between him and the hedgehogs.

"Whoa, that was _way_ too close," Sonic breathed as he got off the ground. "I owe you, Shads," he pulled him up.

"Return the favor later. You remember what Raff told us. Let's get into position and shut this nimrod down!"

"Right! Time for a double boost!"

"Omega! Give us a lift!"

His ally understood his command and quickly flew over to the Blue and Black Blurs. Using his shoulders, they jumped off for extra height and aimed straight at the eye.

"Now!" Sonic yelled.

Both he and Shadow curled into balls as the robot noticed them. It was about to fire its laser, but it was seconds too late as the duo sped their way through the metal frame guarding the eye. They drilled their sharp quills through the body until its core was nullified. Sonic and Shadow landed on a broken street before turning back to see the Death Egg Sentinel collapse in flames.

"Whoo-hoo! We did it, Shadow! Knuckle touch!" he offered a fist.

Shadow just stared at him, unmoved.

"Okay... Awkward..." he put his hand down.

Omega reached his associates and garnered their attention. "More Sentinels up ahead! Must annihilate them!"

"C'mon! The sooner we get rid of them, the better!" Shadow grunted.

Sonic nodded and the two raced over to the nearest Death Egg Robot. Omega boosted behind them and decided to use his own lasers as a distraction. While the hedgehogs jumped off him again, he deployed his Omega Machine Gun and fired at its colossal arm cannon. The Death Egg Robot noticed the activity and directly aimed at him. Awaiting the motion, the E-series robot managed to evade its arm while Sonic and Shadow had an easy opening to crash into the socket. With another Sentinel down, the trio reiterated the process for the rest. Five whole minutes and several distractions later, Sonic and Shadow were able to shut down Eggman's massive patrols.

"Phew!" Sonic wiped off some sweat. "That's the last of them! I think Red Gate City should be safe for the long run!"

"Don't forget about Metal," reminded Shadow.

"Oh, right. Omega, can you detect if he's nearby?"

Fulfilling his request, he surveyed the landscape around him, eyeing for any suspicious movements or a signal.

"Location spotted!" Omega announced. "Subject of Metal Sonic is at the Red Gate Bridge!"

"Cool! Clone or not, we can try to corner him! Let's book it!"

As the three made their way to the landmark, Raff contacted them from the headquarters. "Hello? Can you guys hear me?"

"Loud and clear, Raff! What's up?"

"I just wanted to check on your progress. Collar and Spot saw the Death Egg Robots collapse and reported it to me! Well done!"

"Thanks! It's all thanks to _moi_!"

"Pfft. Don't try to steal all the credit," grumbled Shadow.

"Okay, okay. I had a _little_ bit of help."

The black hedgehog stared off in a different direction, as if he was trying to look through a window or some kind of transparent wall. "And to recap, _this_ is why I always find him irritating."

"Hey, Shads. I'm pretty sure the others don't need to be reminded of that."

"Trust me, Faker. They do."

Sonic frowned, but he continued running alongside him and Omega.

"Have you found Metal Sonic yet?" Raff asked.

"Not yet. I think-"

Suddenly, several red cubes started to spin around the trio of heroes. They skidded against the broken concrete road as they watched the virtual glitches amalgamate into form. A larger scale of Sonic's doppelganger appeared in front of them.

"Now there's the real Faker! We can confirm that this Metal Sonic is here thanks to Phantom Ruby. I'm telling you, Eggman really has taken advantage of his invention too much that it's starting to become a real pain in the neck!"

"Starting to? It's been like that since the Eggman Empire commenced!" argued Shadow.

"I understand, Sonic. I'm still trying to figure out how we can destroy it," said Raff.

"Take your time, little dude. Meanwhile, we've got a robot to smash! I'm sure it'll be just as simple as every other fight!"

"Negative," Omega replied. "I sense several Egg Pawns in the nearby area. They're scattered across the entirety of the bridge, likely to keep us sidetracked."

"Omega, you focus on the weaker bots. We'll handle Metal," ordered Shadow.

"Affirmative. Keep your distance from the replica and watch your backs."

"The same goes to you, Sonic and Shadow," Raff warned before ending the call.

Omega charged ahead to make things slightly easier for his partners. As Metal Sonic flew backward to taunt them, he charged his V. Maximum Overdrive and fired at the hedgehogs. Sonic and Shadow, dashing forward toward their opponent, dodged left and right on the unsteady road, watching out for piles of rubble or potholes that they could trip over. It became more difficult to evade the obstacles when Metal Sonic summoned numerous electrical pillars. Running into one of them would leave a nasty sting to their skin. Sonic was the unlucky one to experience that as he fell forward onto his stomach. The scars on his skin got the worst of it.

"Ahh! Chaos, that burns!"

Shadow swiftly helped him up while Metal imitated a Spin Attack. The black hedgehog beat him to the punch as he countered with one of his own. Both went flying in opposite directions after the collision, but Shadow was confident that he took out a good chunk of health from the duplicate.

"Man, if only Savage were here. He could easily reach Metal with his Wispon without getting too close to him."

"Which means we have no choice but to engage close combat against him," Shadow pointed out the obvious.

"Most of the Egg Pawns are out of the way," Omega informed through the communicator. "Main subject is still on the loose."

Getting back into position, Shadow and Sonic rushed across the bridge, catching up to the oversized clone. The latter clenched his teeth as he was determined to get revenge. Just then, he noticed some more red cubes circling the robot. When they coalesced, several Moto Bugs surrounded Metal.

"Sonic! We have to get rid of the barrier to get to him!"

"Gotcha! Let's do some damage!"

One by one, they alternated spin dashes to take down the bugs. While that took place, Metal fired a laser from his chest. Ducking from the shots, they maintained their top speed and charged at the remaining Moto Bugs. They found an open opportunity as they attacked the head and body simultaneously. Metal Sonic crashed onto the road, taking more damage from the jagged concrete. He still wasn't dead, however. The virtual machine regained consciousness and continued to soar away. Sonic and Shadow charged at him once again, this time with Omega reuniting by their side after he routed the last of the Egg Pawns.

"All the inferior enemies have been officially terminated. Must eliminate the primary foe to complete our mission."

"Awesome! We might as well try a triple boost this time!"

"Don't try to rush things. We need to execute this superbly unless you want to get knocked in the river," Shadow cautioned.

Since the four were at a point on the bridge where all the scaffolding and girders were completely gone or wrecked, Sonic realized his point. If he decided to be careless, he could end up falling in the water. Not only that, he didn't want to put the burden on his comrades. He gave Shadow a firm nod and turned to face Omega, giving him the same gesture.

"On my mark, we'll boost into this Faker and finish him off! And this time, I'll actually count to three!"

Shadow and Omega prepared themselves on either side of Sonic as the blue hedgehog began the call. Metal, with his back facing the triad, attempted to escape from being vanquished.

"One! Two! Three! Triple Boost!" Sonic screamed as he, Shadow, and Omega blazed past the debris until they finally caught up to the clone. Three synchronous spin dashes at high velocity were the final blows they needed after all their previous attacks. Metal Sonic began to sputter and glitch as his body scuffed across the street. The blue robot eventually collided against a wall and crumpled on the ground, motionless from the defeat. By then, red cubes spewed out until all of them exploded. The body faded away and left another inharmonious tone. While it did hurt Sonic and Shadow's ears, they were pleased to see that the Metal Sonic replica was vanquished.

"Now that's how it's done! Great work, guys!" Sonic clenched his fists in satisfaction. "We were like a well-oiled machine fighting a... um, well-oiled machine," he smirked.

Shadow gazed at the sunset beyond the horizon. "We got the job done, and the city can now breathe with the absence of all those robots."

"Indeed. More than likely, the entirety of Red Gate City is now under our control rather than just a small percentage of it," Omega deduced.

Sonic, keeping the smile on his face, turned to his teammates. "Now then, how about that knuckle touch?"

He promptly extended his fist to the others. Omega was on board, but Shadow remained still.

"Come on, Shads. You know you want to do it."

Another eye roll and a guttural sigh later, he indulged in the group fist bump before Sonic gave a loud cheer to the sky. Once he was finished, they began their return to home base.

* * *

Raff took a sip of water as he stared at the computer. But when he heard the front door open, he nearly spilled his glass over the keyboard. The wolf quickly minimized a browser tab until the desktop background flashed on the screen.

"And with the power of teamwork, we pounced that Faker into oblivion!"

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Dude, enough with the cringy proclamations."

"What? Can't a blue hedgehog have his moment?"

"I'm going to bed," he ignored his question. While he headed up to the dormitories, he stopped at the staircase. "But I will say, you kicked some ass back there. At least we got something good after what happened earlier today."

"Same to you, Shads," he winked at him.

The black hedgehog finally left the room while Omega followed him. Sonic stayed behind, but he was about to hit the hay soon.

"I'm gonna get some water before I head on up as well. You want anything, Raff?"

"Um, no thanks. I'm good," he sounded somewhat hesitant.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Thanks though. It's great that you got rid of that Metal Sonic clone and those Death Egg Robots."

"No problem! It's our pleasure! I'm glad those Death Eggheads are gone, too. I bet the city and its people will be happy to hear about that tomorrow morning."

"I think so, too. But now that we're basically down to the last day, we've got to give it our all tomorrow."

Sonic sighed heavily. "You're right. We'll need to be fully prepared for whatever comes our way. So long as we can redeem ourselves after Operation Big Wave, we'll be trending in the right direction anew. Now let's get some well-deserved rest."

"Um, I think I want to do some research before I go."

"Alright. If that's what you want. Just don't stay up too late like Knuckles did. I don't want you to tire out as well."

"Thanks for caring, Sonic."

"And hey, I hope our friends recover soon, especially Savage. He's one heck of a fighter."

Raff grinned at the compliment, knowing it would mean a lot to his brother. "Again, thanks."

The blue hedgehog soon left the computer room and got a glass of water before walking upstairs. Once Raff took the hint that he was nowhere near him or the screen, the wolf winced to himself. He guided his hand to the mouse and reopened the tab he hid from Sonic. It was the same picture of Infinite with the Phantom Ruby fused in his body.

He didn't focus on anything else. His green eyes were glued to the lone object that defined the fate of Mobius. Shaking his head, he felt something in his heart.

Hatred.

In this particular moment, it wasn't because of Eggman. It wasn't because of Eggman forcing Tails to transform into a murderous jackal. Nor was it because they were still on the losing side of the war. It didn't have to do with Savage's injury either.

Raff hated himself. All for one reason.

Unbeknownst to Sonic, he had a potential inkling on how to destroy the Phantom Ruby for good. But he was hiding it from the hero. Again, for one reason.

The outcome either determined the destiny of all the creatures on this planet, or a sole individual.

 _"Either all of us die, or one of us does."_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Without going into much detail, I'm leaving it here. And by the time we return, the Resistance will be down to the final day to stop Eggman and abolish the Phantom Ruby. And Raff has something in mind to get the team rolling. (Gee, I wonder what it is...)_

 _I know I mentioned this in New Brotherhood, but for those who are exclusively reading this story, thanks for your support as Revengeful Resistance has accumulated over **20,000 views**! Alongside the favorites, follows, and reviews, I appreciate everyone for sticking around! See you in the next one! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Considering I've played a lot of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild for the past several months, I made a juxtaposition with the Guardian robots found in the game. These nightmarish enemies always target Link when he's in range and shoot powerful lasers at him. And when you start to hear that piano music out of nowhere... ***Shudders in fear***_

 ** _(2):_** _Since I have Savage (the avatar) out of commission, I've replaced him with Shadow so he and Sonic can get another scene together since the revelation in Ch. 22. More importantly, it's the first time they've exclusively teamed up in a battle._

 ** _(3):_** _This dates back to Sonic CD where Amy and Metal made their debuts. The latter of which kidnapped her in that game._


	30. Ch 30: Sudden Death Egg

_A/N: Hey, everyone. Before we get started, I need to clarify something, and it's going to be awkward to explain._

 _Sometimes, I like to read the Preview of my stories to check for any mistakes I've made that I might have missed when I write out the chapters on Microsoft Word. The thing is, I somehow clicked the actual link to Revengeful Resistance and didn't notice it for quite some time. Simultaneously, I was reading a story under The Legend of Zelda and was about to write a review. But I stepped away from my laptop to help my dad with something, and I put it on sleep mode. When I returned, I accidentally clicked the tab with RR (still haven't noticed the problem yet) and began writing in the review box. As I tried to fix the wording, my stupid trackpad assumed I clicked the 'Post Review' button when I barely touched it. And THAT was when I noticed my mistake; I ended up reviewing on my OWN fanfic._

 _Before I get bombarded, I just want to say that what I did was an honest mistake, so please ignore my 'review' to myself. Either way, it looks ridiculous. I'll make sure to pay better attention so I won't make the same error again. I can only hope the admins can delete the message because I can't._

 _Sorry for the long intro. Let's see if this chapter will make up for my blunder. (It probably won't.) Special thanks to Heroverse101, Oderus, SharpDragonKlaw, Infinite's Ruby, Golden Eye, Tiger of Darkness, Dayman, and Alexandria Prime for your feedback since the last chapter. For the Guest who recently reviewed, I can't please everyone._

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Don't do something dumb like I did. I also don't own Sonic the Hedgehog._

* * *

 **Chapter 30:** Sudden Death Egg

As the clock struck seven, most of the animals in the base were up and preparing for a new day of combat. Needless to say, there were all aware that Eggman's plan was slowly yet inevitably approaching as time flies. Knuckles was one of the first few people to wake up as he felt completely refreshed. Albeit he slept for over half a day, he was rejuvenated and ecstatic to get some sleep. It made him feel like a new echidna and leader. He still needed to regain the trust of his soldiers, but Knuckles didn't want to worry about that too much.

After he washed up, the first place he went to was the infirmary, checking on his friends. To his relief, Silver and Blaze were back at it again. Savage also recovered after he experienced his virtual nightmare. Lastly, Rouge was awake. Suffice it to say, Knuckles was truly thankful she was okay. However, he did hear about her own experience of Virtual Reality. Despite how excruciating it was, Knuckles comforted her for a while, to which she appreciated. All five of them made their way to the main lab as they awaited their others.

After another half-hour, they saw their friends enter the room. Raff, Amy, Shadow, Vector, Charmy, Espio, Omega, and Sonic gathered around the large table, greeting their allies after spending the night with medical attention.

Shadow came up to the bat and whispered to her. "How are you feeling, Rouge?"

"I feel much better," she smiled. "I've put aside that horrific dream, and I'm ready for some more action again."

That made the hedgehog relaxed. He gave her a nod in acknowledgment.

"Silver, Blaze. How are you two holding up?" asked Vector.

"Like we never hurt in the first place," answered Blaze. "Although we were unlucky to deal with Infinite in successive days, we're glad to be on our feet again."

"That's right," Silver added. "I think it's safe to say that we're ready to move on from that ordeal. We have to get down to business as we're in the final twenty-four hours or so. It may take that long, but Eggman's plan is about to commence a lot quicker than we think."

"True. But anyway, the first order of business is to explain what happened last night," Sonic began.

"What do you mean?" Rouge wondered.

"While most of us were recovering after the events of Operation Big Wave, Raff spent his entire time looking over the Phantom Ruby and the Death Egg Robots."

"You really did that?" the Commander queried.

"Yeah, I did," replied Raff.

"And then what?"

"Spot and Collar rushed into the base and told us that the Death Egg Robots almost attacked them as they were bringing in supplies. Amy was a part of that, too."

"He's right," she backed him up. "Not only that, we saw Metal Sonic in the city."

"You did?!" Silver and Blaze gasped. Amy nodded her head.

"Since there was a lot of mayhem going on, Omega, Sonic, and I headed out to get rid of those gargantuan bots. As a matter of fact, we happened to get rid of all of them," said Shadow.

"Wait. Are you serious?" Knuckles did a double take.

"Confirmatory," Omega instantly replied. "All Death Egg Sentinels have been disposed of and defeated throughout Red Gate City. Following procedures included the extermination of Metal Sonic, who was none other than a clone."

"That's great to hear! But, now what are we supposed to do?" Charmy scratched his chin.

"Commander? Do you have a new battle strategy?" Espio turned to him.

Knuckles, put up on the spot, did not have a response for either him or his comrades. While the others stared at him, Raff decided to speak up.

"Yeah! We sure do!"

"What is it, little bro?" Savage looked down at him.

"I came up with this huge strategy last night."

"Did you devise it in less than a minute and a half?" questioned Shadow.

"Hey!" Knuckles grunted.

"Legitimately, it took me over a few hours to set things up. Here's what I discovered." Raff opened an image of the Phantom Ruby. "So according to these readings, we already learned that the Phantom Ruby was originally just a regular jewel that can manipulate people's perceptions with the world around them."

"Right. And?" Savage urged.

"Well, it appears that the Phantom Ruby so happens to be charged up with this massive energy to allow the user to create Virtual Reality nightmares on whomever they target." Raff was solemn after saying that. "So far, Infinite's attacked hundreds of people with this power, including seven of us."

Shadow, Rouge, Omega (before he was decapitated), Blaze, Silver, Savage, and Sonic. **_(1)_** All of them shuddered.

"Sorry. As I said, the ruby has been fed with this energy. There's only one source that's providing it." Raff revealed another photograph. And to everyone's surprise, a familiar location was pictured on the screen.

"The Death Egg?!" the Chaotix said altogether.

"Exactly. If we want to nullify the Phantom Ruby's negative influence, we need to simply stop the energy transfer that's originating in the space dungeon. Therefore, the ruby will be practically useless."

"Hold up, Raff," Knuckles stopped him. "We need to _simply_ cut the energy? Not to be rude, but the last time I checked, that Death Egg is a heavily fortified... uh, Death Egg."

"Says the one who didn't tag along in the rescue mission," teased Sonic.

"Watch it, bucko," he growled.

"Knuckles, you are correct. This is where my plan comes into play. Without relying heavily on our diminished squads, we'll all play a role here." **_(2)_**

"How does it work?" asked Blaze.

Like Knuckles did with Operation Big Wave, Raff laid out an electronic chart on the computer to explain the details. "Our first priority is to distract Eggwad."

"Eggwad? Heh, that's a new one," Sonic snickered.

"Thanks. Anyway, we need to divert his attention far away from two specific locations: the Death Egg, obviously, and the Chemical Plant Zone."

"Why is Chemical Plant involved?" Silver tilted his head.

"I'm glad you asked that question. Once Eggman is sidetracked, we hack into the computer room of the factory. It's located in a more fortified region compared to the database. From there, we can try to take control of the Death Egg's weapons system and turn it off. Not only would that disable the arms inside the dungeon, but we can also infiltrate and destroy the power source from within. No Death Egg equals no energy, and the Phantom Ruby will be weakened."

"Wow," Knuckles' mouth stayed open for a short while. "That's a lot of info to take in. But I'm impressed with the concept. And you thought that all by yourself?"

"Yeah. I hope it's viable."

"I'd say that's a great idea!" Savage liked it.

Raff scratched the back of his head, blushing. Sonic, meanwhile, couldn't help but grin a little. In his eyes, it reminded him of Tails every time he built some unique inventions or developed a battle strategy. The fox reacted the same way whenever he praised his little bro for his efforts.

"If I'm going to be honest, this idea might sound crazy. But it's crazy enough to possibly work," Knuckles smirked.

"One thing needs to be addressed. Roles should be allocated and acknowledged for this strategy to commence," Omega spoke.

"Did you come up with the teams?" Rouge inquired.

"Actually, no," Raff shook his head. "I came up with the strategies, but I wasn't sure who would be best for each task. However, since I hacked into the Chemical Plant database earlier, I've established my duty that I should return there and locate the computer in the Network Terminal."

"Alright then. I'll distribute out the teams. If we need a distraction, then I'm on it!"

"Knuckles," Amy interjected. "I know you've been a good leader for us, and you've just woken up after a long night's sleep. But are you sure you want to fulfill this task? And, please don't take offense to this, but you can be easily distracted by other things."

"Trust me, Amy. I know attentiveness isn't one of my best traits. But I won't fail you or anyone else, especially myself. And to back me up, I'll have the Chaotix on my side. You guys good with that?" he turned to them.

"Heck yeah, I am!" Vector cheered.

"You got it!" Charmy winked.

"It'll be like Knuckles' Chaotix all over again," Espio chuckled. **_(3)_**

"I think Amy and I can team up with Raff down in Chemical Plant. If we did it the first time, we can do it again," Savage made a fist with determination.

"Sounds like a plan to me!" Amy smiled. "Sonic, would you like to join us?"

The blue hedgehog was on board the moment she asked. "Count me in!" What Sonic failed to notice was the uneasy look on Raff's face.

"That just leaves the five of us. I guess we'll take the role of going to the Death Egg and cutting the power supply," said Blaze.

"As much as I don't want to go back into the fortress, let alone outer space, I don't want to complain about it too much. We might as well go for it," Silver commented.

"I'm alright with the plan. Shadow?"

The ebony hedgehog gave a nod to Rouge. "Yes. We'll handle it." Secretly, he hoped nothing bad will happen to her up there, especially after she shared her nightmare to him.

"No matter how crucial or dangerous this mission is, we shall not succumb to failure like before. Another catastrophe and a retreat are the last things we want," Omega specified.

"Well, I'll go tell Spot and Collar the details right away. I'll let them watch over the HQ and the squadrons as we all prepare for our new mission: Operation Sudden Death Egg!"

"Did you come up with that name on the spot?" asked Savage.

"Why, yes, I did," the echidna felt proud of himself. "Okay, gang. Once I speak to them, we'll get the party rolling again! And whether this is our last day or not, let's finish with a bang!"

The rest of the main members, including Shadow, let out a loud cheer or battle cry, feeling persistent to change the current fate of Mobius.

* * *

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Phase one of Sudden Death Egg: distract Eggman by creating a disturbance.

In Team 1, Knuckles, Vector, Espio, and Charmy were the ones responsible to lure the evil doctor away from Chemical Plant so that Savage, Raff, Amy, and Sonic have leeway to reach the deepest part of the factory. The quartet made their way to Guardian Rock, an industrialized region of the hills just outside of the desert amalgamation.

The 8th Unit, otherwise known as the Bat Squad (and was the same set of soldiers the Chaotix saved earlier), were relocated to the Green Hill Zone since the Death Egg Robots were in the way prior to Operation Big Wave. The sentinels may be gone right now. But before they could return to their original whereabouts, they were battling more of Eggman's robots up until one of the soldiers got a hold of Knuckles' communicator.

"Commander Knuckles!" Cole the Dog called. "Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, Cole. Do you have any reports?"

"Just one, sir! We've noticed a strange heat source nearby! None of my comrades nor I could identify the source! And we need backup, ASAP!"

"Hold your horses, Cole. Let me see if we can get a reading on whatever's in the area." The Resistance leader pulled out a Miles Electric and scanned for any suspicious entities. The radar managed to pick up something large.

"Holy honeycombs!" Charmy squealed. "Is that a gigantic crab?!"

"It's some kind of multi-legged robot, that's for sure," Espio groaned with disdain.

"Whether it's a crab or not, the doctor would have _another_ weapon up his damn sleeves. Like any typical mech, it also has to be humongous," Vector grunted.

Charmy was about to say something until he realized a large shadow on the ground from where they were at. By the time he looked up, he flew away and shouted as his allies. "GUYS, RUN!"

Vector, Espio, and Knuckles gazed at the sky, only to see a large, robotic leg about to stomp on them. They narrowly dodged it as they tumbled in the grass.

"Holy crap! This place is manifested with robotic creatures!" shouted Knuckles.

"Did I mention _humongous_?" Vector reiterated.

"Either way, we need to cause a loud and noticeable ruckus if we want to draw Eggman's attention. Until we do so, our friends in Chemical Plant won't get there safely if the doctor's aware of their location, especially since Sonic's there," told Espio.

"Diversionary tactics will be key here. Let's just go wild so we can lure him and the robots away!" said Knuckles.

"Then let's get started!" Charmy yelled. "We'll knock out the Badniks in this zone and do whatever else we can!"

The four heroes ran across a wooden bridge and jumped on several bumpers to reach the heights of Guardian Rock. Espio and Charmy took the higher ground and focused on fighting against the Buzz Bombers. Vector and Knuckles stayed below as they used their strength to crush the Egg Pawns. Several explosions resulted from both sides after walloping the Badniks. They came across an underground section with narrow corridors. With not much room, they all carried forward, attacking with spin dashes, punches, and bee stings, respectively.

"That takes care of this section! Let's move forward!" commanded Knuckles.

The Chaotix followed the leader once they reached the outside again. They noticed all the platforms had large legs floating above.

"Chaos!" Vector gasped. "How many of these are even here?!"

"There's at least four up ahead. But I can see more in the distance!" Charmy pointed out.

"Don't be too hasty going up here. But we also can't be sluggish," warned Espio.

"And watch out for those Badniks! We're the ones who should be doing the distracting, not them!" bellowed Knuckles.

Minding the obstacles, the quartet charged ahead to get rid of the Badniks. One of the robots destroyed an upcoming bridge with quicksand found beneath the pit. Knuckles ran so fast that he didn't have enough time to stop. Just when he was about to fall, Vector caught him by the leg. Espio grabbed the other while Charmy pulled him by the arms.

"Oh, man. I would've been a goner. Thanks for saving me."

"Anything for you, Knux!" Vector smirked. "Now let's get back to action!"

"Commander!" Cole called again. "We have an emergency! The colossal mech is roaming in Green Hill and is chasing my soldiers! We really need assistance!"

"Shit. We can't let that thing get anywhere close to the Chemical Plant. Cole, we're on our way! C'mon, guys!"

"Yeah!" the other three screamed.

As they zipped past the industrial area of Green Hill's sandy gradients, they managed to get a view of the beast who's infesting the zone.

"Oh my goodness! It _is_ a gigantic crab!" Charmy squealed.

"And there are the soldiers of the Bat Squad!" Espio pointed below, seeing them run away from several falling rocks caused by the mech.

"We won't let this crustacean run amuck!" Vector raised a fist. "After it!"

Leaping onto the road below, Knuckles and the Chaotix rushed ahead to follow the Death Crab. It was breaking more of the rocky structures ahead. The debris flew in various directions, serving as obstacles as the soldiers ducked and dodged. Various members were unfortunate to trip over the rocks, allowing the Death Crab to stomp over the troops. With tremendous luck, they didn't get trampled on, but they were injured after falling onto the ground.

"Chaotix! Initiate Rocket Accel once again! Shoot me up to the head!" ordered Espio.

Vector and Charmy received the message and got into position, similar to their virtual fight against Chaos on the Death Egg. With the crocodile's muscles and the bee's quick reflexes, they pushed their chameleon ally forward up into the sky. At the right moment, Espio aimed at the crab's eyes and threw three shuriken stars to damage its eyesight. While the Death Crab's vision was slightly diminished, he followed with a couple of spin attacks. Then, Knuckles soared in the air and slammed his fists in the same spot. Charmy used his stinger to puncture two of the legs. Vector took care of the rest with his Vector Breath, spewing out pink gum bubbles that stuck to the other legs and exploded seconds later.

"Ha! Are you feeling it now, Mr. Death Crab?!" Vector taunted.

With limited movement, the Death Crab began to lose balance and started to tumble forward. Cole and several combatants reentered the scene and used their laser guns to attack the body. Soon after, the mechanical robot crashed onto the ground.

"Whoo-hoo! We defeated it!" said Charmy.

"Good work, team! Now this zone should be mostly clear now that this beast is dead," Knuckles smiled.

"Commander," Cole came up to them, "we can't thank you guys enough for your support."

"It's no problem."

"But I'm afraid some of the members of our unit are harmed. We need medical help immediately," he turned around to see some of his wounded soldiers. Those who were unscathed crouched beside them, checking for any severe injuries.

"Right. We'll get them back to home base. I'll call someone over to help."

At the headquarters, Spot was the one who responded to his call. "Hello?"

"Spot, we need to get a shuttle to Guardian Rock. Some of our crew got injured."

"Oh, no. We'll send one right away with a medical team. But if there's any good news, get this scoop. We just heard that Eggman has noticed the destruction in Green Hill. He's on his way to check out the damage!"

"Really? Well, that is good news, at least. We got to tell Sonic and his group."

"I'm on it," Spot replied. "And we'll get the shuttle there soon."

"Perfect." Knuckles explained to the Chaotix, Cole, and the rest of the Bat Squad about the current situation. Hearing about that gave them some hope.

Phase one was now complete.

* * *

 _Location: Chemical Plant Zone_

Phase two: locate the computer room and hack the Death Egg's weapons system.

Once Team 2 arrived at their destination, Sonic led the way with his companions. Amy and the wolves stood beside each other as they entered the facility. All four shivered when they felt a cold breeze run through their fur. Although Savage and the Chaotix ventured here to get the shuttle in similar conditions, they presumed the cold weather would go away. That wasn't the case, however, as they were in the northern section; the entire base was covered in frost. It was different than the time Savage, Amy, and Raff scouted the zone to find the database. Now, the trio was going for a somewhat similar mission, only with the addition of the blue hedgehog.

"Drat. And just when I thought I wouldn't have to deal with the cold again," Savage complained.

"Don't worry, Savage. We'll get to the computer room and rush out of here to someplace warm," Raff reassured.

Sonic then noticed his communicator beeping. "Yello?"

"Hey, Sonic! Great news! Knuckles and the Chaotix have executed their distraction down in Green Hill. And Eggman has fallen for the bait! He's heading there as we speak."

"Cool! It's about time I bust some more heads! Thanks for the update!" he responded before hanging up. "Well, guys, Knuckles and the others have done their job. Now, it's our turn!"

"Excellent! If we can find the main computer, we can capture and reclaim the entirety of Chemical Plant! Then, we'll be able to work our way through for the next step!" said Raff.

"Got to watch out for those Badniks, as usual," Amy added.

"Leave them to me!" Sonic shouted as he rushed down the curvy pathways. Amy, Raff, and Savage went behind him in that order as they hovered over the large buildings and onto some grinding rails. Up ahead, a pair of zip lines were suspended by cranes. Sonic leaped off a bumper and held onto the metal bar. Amy was behind, but he managed to reach his hand out and clasp hers.

"Thanks, Sonic!"

"Anytime!"

Raff was the next to hit the bumper. He boarded the second zip line while his older brother extended the grappling hook to reach the bar. The wolves rode behind the hedgehogs through the flurries, making their way to another set of rails. Sonic told Amy to hang on tight as he was about to let go. He shifted his weight and managed to carry her in his arms as he balanced himself and shifted from one to another.

"Leave it to you for carrying me into this situation."

"Heh, I'm just making you sure don't fall."

"Oh, really? I'll have you know I'm a proficient skater. I can handle some rails myself."

"Alright. The next time we run into some more, I won't hold onto you."

"Fair. Although, I don't mind this at all. It means we're closer than before."

Sonic realized what Amy meant that a blush reddened his cheeks. The pink hedgehog couldn't hold in her laughter.

Savage and Raff rode on a separate set of rails, making sure to navigate in the right direction and switching to a different one so they wouldn't drop into the icy waters below. Both were able to grind with ease, enjoying the moment and doing some acrobatic tricks in the air after they hopped off. They ran over some more winding roads before approaching another zip line.

"Hey, Raff! You want a piggyback ride?"

"You bet, big bro!"

With the red wolf being supported by the glasses-wearing rookie, he utilized his hook once more to reach the cable. They remained flying until Savage leaped onto a set of bumpers as he reached a large opening in one of the buildings. Conveniently, Sonic and Amy were able to reunite by their side.

"Hey, guys!" the Blue Blur waved. "How's the grind going?"

"Amazing!" Savage replied. "And it looks like we're about to reach the depths of the plant!"

"It sure does. I would enjoy flying through this place if we weren't on a mission!"

"Watch out for those spinning lasers!" Amy cautioned.

The four were able to avoid said obstacles before landing onto solid ground. They rushed into the next room where it took them inside the Network Terminal.

"Let's see. The computer room is somewhere deep inside this building. But I notice there are several Badniks around this area. Not only that, but the Mega Mack is also in here."

"Aw, shit. Not that slimy, pink stuff again!" Savage moaned.

"Sorry, bud. But I've had to deal with this stuff many times before," said Sonic.

The orange wolf didn't bother to complain more as he and his friends descended into the next area. Multiple Ferris wheels of platforms spun around whenever a stream of Mega Mack poured onto the mechanism. It allowed the heroes to traverse through the factory. They also dealt with the multitude of Egg Pawns aiming their arms at them. Savage was able to burn them with his Wispon while Amy whacked several more with her mallet. Raff and Sonic worked together to land spin dashes on the other Badniks. They also destroyed a small opening which guided them through a series of clear warp tubes. After exiting the passage, the hedgehogs and wolves rode more Ferris wheels toward the entrance of the computer room. Albeit, Savage had a near-death situation when he almost fell off one of the platforms because the momentum made him fall backward. Raff was able to prevent him from falling as he pulled him up.

"Whew. I owe you again, Raff."

"You don't owe me anything. I'm here to help you."

"Likewise, dude. Are we getting closer to the computer?"

"I think so. It should be up this way!"

"What are we waiting for then? Let's jam!" Sonic ran ahead.

In a matter of seconds, everyone sped their way into the room where they saw the entire control panel. Raff was amazed by the technology, even if it was Eggman's. He immediately got his hands on the keyboard, typing away to access the Death Egg's defense system. While it took several minutes, Raff's technical smarts proved to be effective as he was able to shut the place down.

"Yes! I shut it down!"

"Terrific!" Amy clasped her hands in excitement.

"Awesome work, man!" Sonic winked.

"That's my little brother!" Savage patted his shoulder.

"Thanks, Savage," Raff smiled.

"Raff, I gotta say, your plan is coming to fruition! I can taste the payback already!" Sonic gave a thumbs-up and another fist bump to him and his other teammates.

"I guess that means we have to tell the others about our progress?"

"Right, Savage. I'll go ahead and get them on the line," Amy began her contact.

The Revengeful Resistance was now one step closer.

* * *

 _Location: Death Egg_

Phase three: cut the Death Egg's power supply and annul the Phantom Ruby's powers.

Team 3, consisting of Omega, Rouge, Blaze, Shadow, and Silver, boarded a shuttle where a few members of the Eagle Squad agreed to pilot the spaceship. They planned to wait in the escape room until the quintet has completed their job. They all took a step onto the metal floor, memories starting to flow back into their minds.

In Shadow's case, he remembered how Infinite managed to beat him before he was taken here and was placed in a six-month coma. Silver and Blaze recalled fighting a Metal Sonic duplicate. Rouge and Omega tried to find Shadow in here, only to fail. The only bad memory they had was when they tried to help the prisoners escape, but not all were lucky as some were perished by Eggman's army.

Thankfully for them, they stopped reminiscing when Rouge's communicator started beeping. "This is Rouge, over."

"Rouge, we were able to locate the computer room, and Raff managed to shut down the weapons in the Death Egg!" told Amy.

"Tremendous! Now this is our chance to get going!"

"Hold on a second, Rouge," Shadow raised a hand. He took a few steps forward and gazed inside the next room. One good look and he noticed a major problem. "I thought so. The defense system is still up."

"What? But how is that possible?!" Raff was heard over the microphone.

"Are you sure you actually shut down the weapons here?" Silver doubted.

"I should've!"

"It's not that. I don't doubt him one bit," Shadow replied. "The thing is, they probably switched over to auxiliary power. Leave it to Eggman to think of backup strats for his plan. He _really_ has thought of everything."

"Well, this doesn't sound good for now," Blaze shook her head.

"That doesn't mean our task is deemed impossible," Omega countered. "We can still shut down the system by shoving through the defense."

"If that's the case, I don't know if staying here at Chemical Plant would be useful if the Death Egg is on backup power," Savage mentioned.

"You've done your job. I say you guys head back to HQ," Rouge responded.

"Are you sure about that?" questioned Sonic.

"Positive. Or, you could meet up Knuckles and the Chaotix in case they need to keep distracting Eggman."

"One way or another, I guess we're leaving. Good luck then," Amy finished before ending the call.

"Alright. Time to navigate this hellhole again," stated Silver.

The five heroes went into the base and came across some Photon Bridges. Azure particles glowed in line patterns that either ran vertically, horizontally, or at a slanted angle. Shadow noticed that they can walk on the particles so long as it's steady. But they had a limited amount of time to reach the other side before the dots dissipate.

After rushing through the first part of the inner factory, their next stop was a large conveyor belt that also acted as an elevator. As the belt moved in one direction, they had to run the opposite way to avoid falling off. To make things more difficult, there were lasers attached to the walls, spraying electric orbs at the squad. Silver used his psychokinesis to stop them in midair. Blaze also summoned fire to countervail, which somehow managed to destroy the particles. They eventually made it to the top and resumed running through the level while avoiding the lasers.

"Caution," Omega gave a warning. "Those long, red panels are illuminated with heat. Proceed without touching them."

In the next section, they ran into another conveyor belt, except it was in anti-gravity mode as they were standing upside down.

"Urgh, I hate dealing with places like this. It makes things so disorienting!" Blaze groused.

"You're telling me. It's messing with my head, too!" grumbled Rouge.

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," Silver held a hand over his stomach.

"At this point, I just want to smash stuff to alleviate my anger," Shadow mumbled.

"Danger. I sense Badniks nearby," Omega reported.

Despite the awkward gravity change, they moved forward with their feet on the 'ceilings', riding on more conveyor belts. Descending into the depths of the chamber, a few Egg Pawns dropped to block their path. Due to the limited space, Omega took care of them by firing his cannons at the enemies. He led the animals to a staircase with more Badniks blocking the way. Alongside Omega's cannon blasts, Shadow spin dashed some Egg Pawns to clear the path. Then, they took turns bouncing on the bumpers that brought them near the end of the anti-gravity section. It didn't take long until they were standing right-side up.

"Whew! Finally! I was about to be sick if we spent another second upside down," Silver panted.

"Don't look now, Silver, but we're not done yet," Rouge mentioned. "In fact, I hope you can deal with motion sickness in about three seconds."

"What do you mean by that?"

His question was instantly answered when Shadow approached a Ring Shooter. Once he noticed what was about to transpire, the white-furred hedgehog muttered...

"Oh, Chaos."

"Yep," Rouge bluntly spoke.

Shadow started spinning in a crazy, circular pattern, flying all over the place until he landed safely. Omega, Blaze, and Rouge followed the black hedgehog after being launched through the Ring Shooter. Silver, who unenthusiastically sighed, was the last to use the machine and caught up with the others. But it didn't make his life better when he found that they had _another_ Ring Shooter to ride on.

"Are we done with this yet?" Silver desperately asked after their second trip.

"Uh..." Blaze and Rouge hesitated.

"Nope," Shadow simply huffed.

"Damn it."

After platforming up to a _third_ Ring Shooter, the heroes finally made it to the end where they saw one last conveyor belt with Egg Pawns dropping on it. A set of red panels settled underneath the belt. As they all trampled the robotic foes, they stumbled upon the large energy core in the deepest part of the Death Egg. All five gave each other glances before nodding concurrently. Rouge performed a Tornado Kick, using strong winds to damage the structure. Blaze implemented a Fire Claw strike the core with a burst of flames. Shadow and Silver proceeded to use their speed to aim at the center, crashing through the metal. Once they rebounded, Omega delivered the final blow with his Omega Machine Gun, blast a large laser to dismantle the auxiliary power.

"Mission successful! This dungeon is beginning to disintegrate," the E-series robot acclaimed.

"Excellent! Now we better get out of here and return to the escape room!" Blaze shouted.

"Sonic! Knuckles! The Death Egg is about to be destroyed soon," Shadow gave them the update.

"Really?! Way past cool! Great job!" said Sonic ecstatically.

"Now _that's_ how we execute a plan!" Knuckles extolled while the Chaotix celebrated in the background.

"It's all thanks to you, Raff! Your battle strategy worked out!"

"Thanks, Savage! I'm glad we all did it."

"Alright, Team 3. Hurry on out of there! We don't want you guys stuck inside when it explodes," said Amy.

Several minutes later, the squad was able to fly out of the spherical fortress moments before the inevitable. When the shuttle was far away, everyone watched the destruction. To everyone's content, the Death Egg was no more, bursting in a large explosion. All the members in the shuttle cheered with pure joy, exchanging high-fives and hugs after a fruitful mission. Shadow smirked while Omega clenched his claw, both feeling accomplished.

All around the world, the other Resistance members were able to witness the detonation, including the soldiers inside the HQ.

"Outstanding! They were able to destroy the Death Egg!" yelled Collar.

"Yeah! And the Phantom Ruby's power should be down to almost nothing!" Spot grinned.

"Well done, guys!" Knuckles commended. "I'm proud of everyone here! Now let's regroup at home base before we can move on to our next mission."

It was about time the protagonists had something to be proud of. Because of their domination, the Resistance rocketed their percentage of world control by over 40%! Now, they have conquered nearly three-quarters of the planet since the fall of Mobius. Things were finally going their way after six months of miserable losses.

Nevertheless, the team knew they weren't quite done with the war yet. But just like Sonic enjoying the flavor of a chili dog, the Resistance can taste defeat and victory within their reach.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _For the first time, the Revengeful Resistance has turned the tables in their favor. They now take control of more than 70% of the planet as most of Eggman's army subsided under their hands. While they've made major progress, Eggman will eventually go into desperate mode once he realizes the turnaround. And eventually, we'll be getting to a revised plot point, which is another moment I've been anticipating on writing since I revealed the secret in Ch. 22. You'll have to find out what I'm talking about because I'm evil like that._

 _Until then, I hope this chapter was worth it. Please favorite and follow the story to catch up on new updates, and review down below (to say how much of an idiot I am for what I've mentioned earlier). Thank you again for reading, and I'll see you next time for Ch. 31! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Although the game didn't show Omega being affected by Virtual Reality, I'd like to think that this was implicit during Episode Shadow, sometime before he got shut down by Infinite. I know I also didn't include that in this story, but I'm rolling with it._

 ** _(2):_** _One thing to stress about this part is that I hated how the game showed the entire NPC gang standing in the HQ as they watch Sonic, Classic Sonic, and the Avatar take care of the levels and the Death Egg imploding. (Amy says Knuckles is needed to stay behind... and do what, might I ask? They try to imply that the others did stuff, but the way it was set up was completely indolent.) Basically in this revision, I'm giving all the main characters a piece of the action so we don't have to focus on two (or three) characters doing all the work while everyone else lazily views everything._

 ** _(3):_** _Yeah, I made a reference to **that** game considering the Chaotix members made their debuts there. Am I proud of it? Partially._


	31. Ch 31: Highway to Hell

_A/N: First off, I slightly changed the synopsis of this story. Nothing too major. Secondly, I have a correction from the ending Author's Note in the previous chapter. There are several moments up ahead that I'm dying to write. One of them will occur in the next chapter. The next biggest part will take place over the course of Ch. 35-37. I won't reveal the details now, but I'll let you paint the picture once we get close to that point._

 _Special shoutouts to SharpDragonKlaw, Black Twilight Wolf, cyberkiller125, Oderus, Infinite's Ruby, Alexandria Prime, Golden Eye, The Sensational SpiderDom321, Dayman, Tiger of Darkness, and The Sensational SpiderDom321 for your reviews. Excluding my accident, this fanfic has legitimately reached **300 reviews** , currently my second-most reviewed work behind Hidden Bravery. But at this pace, it's likely to surpass it in the foreseeable future. Thank you all once again! Now let's return to Revengeful Resistance!_

 _ ***EDIT: Happy 28th Birthday, Sonic!**_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog belongs to Sega while I only take credit for this rewrite and the avatar characters._

* * *

 **Chapter 31:** Highway to Hell

 _Location: Green Hill Zone_

Since Knuckles and the Chaotix managed to manipulate Dr. Eggman to come to Green Hill, he was accompanied by Orbot, Cubot, and Infinite to check out the problem. The Resistance was capable to defeat not only the Death Crab, but they kept up the pace to make sure they weren't spotted. And by the time they departed to home base, the sunset was approaching rather quickly. Not only that, Eggman came to the realization that he got tricked. Watching the footage displayed from Cubot's eyes, he witnessed everything that was captured from his security cameras that ran on backup power. From his computer in Chemical Plant that got hacked, to the Death Egg being obliterated once again... With rising frustration, Eggman was on the losing side for the first time since the war initiated.

"Preposterous!" he furiously slammed his fists onto the control of his Egg Mobile. "How did I go from the supreme ruler of Mobius to this?! I can't believe those resistance pests! Their stupid, clever, and little plots actually worked against me! They're like something on your shoe that you can't wipe off."

"It's quite inevitable yet also impressive how they managed to take our legs right out from under us," remarked Orbot.

"Uh, Orbot, I don't have legs. And neither do you, dude," Cubot mentioned.

"Don't remind me, dude."

"How about you 'dudes' shut the hell up?!" Eggman growled. "I don't need any of you back sassing me!"

As the doctor did his best to alleviate his temper, he noticed Infinite quietly floating down until he was eye level with him. The thing is, the jackal didn't stare back at him.

"The night is still young, and we've got plenty of time left to reverse the course and reclaim the territories we just lost. I suppose we can develop a tactical retreat so that we can re-mobilize our forces."

Infinite placed a hand over his mask, slightly shaking. "And when you say, 'tactical retreat', I'm certain you're trying to say, 'flee with our tails between our legs'. It's no wonder why you always seem to collapse at the worst timing possible," he muttered, causing the doctor to grunt at him.

"Um, but we don't have tails. You technically do, but not us robots!" said Cubot as Eggman and Infinite glared at him.

"Where exactly do you want to head, sir? Now that the Death Egg is no longer an option, that leaves only two feasible choices: your Empire Fortress, or your headquarters in Metropolis," explained Orbot. "There's probably not another location for us to retreat since the Resistance has conquered the other zones."

"Indeed, it's not looking good on your repertoire, Doctor. Displeasing, to say the least, you're on the verge of another crucial defeat. This one would be more hard-hitting than all of your previous failures."

With an unnerving glower, Eggman responded, pointing a finger at his slave, "I suggest you shut up and follow me. You're lucky I decided to unequip my shock collar on you. And be even more grateful that I didn't electrocute you during your drowning session!"

Infinite neither flinched nor retorted at Eggman's harsh speech. All he did was scowl from within his mask.

"We'll return to my Metropolis headquarters," he chose. "I have a gut feeling the Resistance will try to ambush the city again. And once again, they will not succeed."

"How can you be so sure?" Cubot doubted.

"That, I won't explain in detail. It's genuinely my intuition. Regardless, I want Sonic to suffer in front of my own eyes. It's only a matter of what I plan to do to make that happen. Until then, I expect to start my ultimate plan at exactly 7 a.m. sharp. Now come on! I don't want to waste more time!"

Eggman fired up the engines and blasted away. Cubot and Orbot were in shock that they were left behind since they wanted to ride on the Egg Mobile.

"Doctor, slow down!" Orbot called.

"Wait!" Cubot screamed desperately.

Infinite stayed afloat in his spot for several seconds before glancing down at the grass. He closed his only visible eye and sighed.

 _"I can't kill him... I just **can't**... But the effects of this damned Phantom Ruby are too powerful..."_

The aforementioned jewel gleamed with an ominous, magenta radiance before the mercenary followed his leader and the robots.

* * *

 _Location: Resistance HQ_

After an extremely long and tiresome day, it was already past midnight. The full moon glistened in the clear skies of Red Gate City. The three teams who partook in Operation Sudden Death Egg reassembled after several hours of hard work, deception, and retaliation to make Eggman's forces weaker than before. To summarize, everyone felt accomplished.

Collar, Spot, Delilah, Greg, and the other members of the Revengeful Resistance eagerly greeted the main band of heroes, whistling and applauding for their efforts to overtake Chemical Plant and cut the Death Egg's power supply.

"Yeah, baby! Mission accomplished!" Spot congratulated.

"Excellent work, you guys!" Collar winked.

"Thanks to you guys, Red Gate is currently at peace with the other zones," Delilah winked.

"We can't thank you guys enough," said Greg.

Knuckles came up to the four of them, as well as the rest of the soldiers inside the computer room. "Let's get one thing straight. It's not just us doing the hard work. Everyone here has done something to reach this point. You should all be proud of yourselves."

"For now, the signal for the Phantom Ruby should be much weaker right now," Rouge discussed.

"And that should effectively put a stop to Dr. Eggman's weapon," Shadow deduced with a sly grin.

Vector pulled Espio and Charmy into his arms, catching them off guard with a group hug. "That was probably the best mission we've ever done! Because this time, we all divided and conquered! I mean, not figuratively speaking."

"Don't worry. We know what you mean," Spot waved it off.

"Regardless, this is the exact moment we've been wanting since this Chaos-forsaken war began!" Silver smiled.

Blaze nodded at his comment. "We can finally settle the score against the doctor's legion once and for all!"

"The Phantom Ruby should no longer be a thing to distract us," Knuckles stated with confidence. "We can finally smash Eggman into an omelet! Someone pass me the bacon because I'm hungry for some revenge!"

While most of the Resistance members were eager for the final showdown, no one, not even Savage, noticed how discouraged Raff looked. He was periodically gazing at Sonic, one of the few people who weren't exactly enthusiastic about the whole situation. One of those reasons involved Tails. As for the other...

"As much as I like to speed things up to get this over with, we don't want to exactly count our chickens before smashing our eggs. The fact that Egghead and Infinite are still out there means that we can't let our guard down. I still can't get over the fact that I was defeated by them, and that's because I got cocky." Sonic paused before glancing down at the floor, appearing solemn. "I know it's clear from the get-go, but I _really_ want my little buddy back."

"And I want everyone here to go back home so we can move on, rest up, and rebuild the world to its former glory," Amy sought.

Meanwhile, Spot received an urgent call on his communicator. He isolated himself in the corner to talk in private.

"Just as long as Eggman is defeated, that's generally what I care about," muttered Savage. "But yeah, you have a point, Amy. We do have to restore Mobius after we end this time-consuming battle. And we won't have enough time left if we celebrate too early. Eggman's plan should be starting in..." he read the clock on the wall, only to realize one issue. "Actually, we don't know when exactly it'll occur. Either way, we don't have a lot of time if you think about it."

Everyone then heard Spot spoke up. "What's that? Is this confirmed? Okay then. I'll deliver the message. Thanks," he soon hung up before rejoining the party. "It was one of my soldiers down in Green Hill. He has a vital memo for us."

"What is it?" Raff cautiously inquired.

"It's about Eggman's master plan to destroy all mankind on Mobius. He's going to initiate it at exactly 7 a.m."

Seconds of silence elapsed as the entire gang registered the news.

"Eggman is also retreating to Metropolis. He could be there as we speak," Spot added.

"Okay, listen up, Resistance!" Knuckles abruptly announced. "Although it's very late at the moment, we're gonna have to make progress very quickly. We'll have to sacrifice sleep for tonight and prepare for our next attack. Conveniently with Spot's update, we have our next destination set!"

"Knuckles, do you even remember what happened the last time we went to Metropolis?" questioned Espio.

"Yes, and I don't want to talk about it again. At least we gained some momentum earlier, and I want to maintain that. Therefore, I want to redeem ourselves by confronting Eggman and his troops. Since we know the Phantom Ruby is debilitated, it'll mean Infinite won't slow us down as much as he did initially. This is our chance to officially destroy the ruby!"

A shudder came from Raff, which also went unnoticed.

"Let's take a few minutes to recoup. Then we'll head out and repay Eggman's forces a visit. Hopefully, we'll be there by about 2:00 a.m. But it'll be butt-kicking time."

While everyone was going their separate ways, the only one who didn't move from his spot was Raff. Again, he stared at Sonic who had his back towards him.

"Hey, bro?"

The red wolf was startled when he heard Savage from behind. "Huh?!"

"What's up? You've been standing there for a while."

"Uh, yeah. Is there something wrong with that?" he sounded a bit defensive.

"Oh no, not at all. But it looked like you were spaced out for a minute there," he crouched down so he was at Raff's level.

"W-Was I?"

"I mean, that's what I thought. But I shouldn't be one to make assumptions."

"Well, I'm fine, Savage... if that's what you're wondering."

"You sure about that? I don't mean to sound like Sonic and be overprotective. But you know... I'm always trying to look after you. Because..." the orange rookie trailed off.

"Savage, I understand what you mean. But trust me, I'm okay."

"Are you 100% positive?"

Raff nodded as he made an 'X' with his finger, right over his chest. "I'm positive."

"Okay, Raff. I believe you. Now let's get ready."

"Yeah. I'm gonna run to the bathroom. I'll rejoin you soon."

"No problem."

Raff quickly left his brother before exiting the computer room. However, he leaned against the door, his back sliding against the metal surface as the cold touch made his fur stand up.

 _"He's gonna find out sooner or later. It's whether or not I decide to tell him."_

The wolf dug his hands in his face, feeling frustrated at himself.

* * *

 _Location: Metropolis_

In the city that never sleeps... (No, not **that** city...)

...Metropolis was not a bustling location this late. However, the tower sentries and the generic Badniks were still on watch to detect any strange activity or impending intruders. Several lights from the metallic buildings were also on to illuminate the area.

Since the numbers of the Fox, Snake, and Eagle Squads were decimated from Operation Big Wave, Cole's Bat Squad was transferred for extra backup. Even with about one hundred and fifty members, Commander Knuckles remained optimistic.

Keeping his voice low, he spoke to the crowd. "Remember, Resistance. We can't fool around, and there's little to no room for mistakes. Put your game faces on because we're gonna go in there and show the doctor what we're truly capable of. We can prevent his plan from happening so long as we capture Eggman and take down Infinite's Phantom Ruby. Until then, we need to pinpoint their current site so we can land an attack. Is that clear?"

Several murmurs were heard from the soldiers, but they were in on the plan. They weren't as doubtful as before. That was all in the past. Once again, the Eagle Squad boarded the shuttles with Raff in charge of the laser machines; everyone else stayed behind.

"It'll be the same teams I had for Big Wave. Cole, you take a third of your group and assist Sonic, Amy, and Savage. The others will join me and Shadow's squad."

"Yes, sir!" the brown dog saluted.

"Just don't stop nor look back at all. Give it all you got and don't let anything divert you! Now let's go on my call! 3... 2... 1... MOVE OUT!"

The squadrons sprinted into the city with Knuckles, Sonic, and Shadow leading the pack and splitting up with their respective comrades.

* * *

With Team Dark, Collar, and a mix of the Fox and Bat Squads, they raced near the eastern edge of the city. Above them, some of the shuttles were doing a better job at defending against Eggman's aircraft and the sentries. Rouge got a vantage point at the roads down below, being stealthy as she hid in the shadows and the dark spots of the buildings. She discovered an army of Egg Walkers, which were ostrich-like robots with long legs and a set of missile launchers in place of their wings. **_(1)_**

"Be careful with these," the bat warned. "I think it's a new robot species that Eggman created."

"Must recognize attack patterns and annihilate foes," Omega responded.

Collar vigilantly approached one of them until he stopped moving. An Egg Walker noticed his lack of movement and stared at the black-furred canine. He expected the robot to charge at him. But to his surprise, the Egg Walker began to run away.

"Hey! Don't you chicken out against us!" Shadow grunted before he ran after him. The ostrich was on the loose as it passed the other Egg Walkers. While it continued to escape, the warriors did their best to avoid the attacks while firing their guns. Omega body slammed the Walkers before most of them got a chance to utilize their missile launchers.

Ahead of the group was Rouge who stopped flying and rode on a nearby grind rail, skidding her boots against the glowing metal. Approaching the end of the line, she jumped off and drove her feet onto the Badnik's head. A robotic shriek roared in the night sky before Shadow finished it off.

"Chaos Control!"

Despite the lack of a Chaos Emerald, his abilities paid off as he crushed the Egg Walker into a nearby building. He turned around to see the other's progress. Shadow was mildly satisfied as the rest of the Badniks were dismantled.

"Starting off well. We can keep up the pace here," said Collar. "I don't want to jinx it, but this is going better than Operation Big Wave."

"Then let's move forward. We gotta find that notorious doctor," the black hedgehog grunted before he skated ahead. Rouge, Omega, and the squadron went after him.

* * *

"Sentries up ahead!" Espio got the red wolf's attention. "Raff, activate the laser machine!"

"I'm on it, Espio!"

Raff led his shuttle in the west part of Metropolis, seeking out the active turrets. Several of them managed to detect the ship with a large light, but the red wolf took control of the machines. He fired laser after laser, getting direct contact to explode the sentries. His aim was so perfect that he didn't miss his targets once. They were all right on the money.

"Man, that was incredible to watch!" the bee acclaimed.

"Thanks, Charmy! Did I get all of them?"

"I think I can answer that. Take a good look, boys," Vector acted as some sort of tour guide. "The towers in this city are no longer operational. Mission successful!" That sparked a cheer from the soldiers.

"Espio to Commander. The tower sentries are officially down," the chameleon reported.

"Excellent, guys! This side of the city will be a lot easier to traverse through."

"We'll pilot the shuttle to focus on Eggman's fleet in the sky for now," told Charmy.

"Sounds good to us. Keep it up!"

From down below, the echidna's team watched the airship that Raff and the Chaotix were steering. Engaging in combat with the enemies, a few more of the Resistance's shuttles came by to outnumber Eggman's armada. Things were shining brighter for the heroes, and the sun hasn't risen yet!

"Knuckles," Blaze called out to him. "How do you want to take care of the Badniks up ahead?"

The leader saw a horde of Buzz Bombers and Egg Pawns guarding the road ahead. "Simple! We smash 'em like before!"

Blaze closed her eyes and fired up her pyrokinesis, stunning the Badniks with intense heat. She charged as fast as she could, enveloping herself in a large fireball and did a Fire Boost to roll into a line of Egg Pawns. Silver and Spot were beside one another, using psychokinesis and gun power, respectively. One by one, they took turns to freeze the enemies and liquidate them.

"To your left, Silver!" shouted the brown canine.

The white-furred hedgehog reacted in time to pause a flying Egg Pawn coming at him. Once it stopped in midair, Spot took aim and fired at the head. The robot flew back and landed on its back before blowing up.

"Spot! Watch out behind you!"

In a role reversal, the dog rotated and noticed a Buzz Bomber flying with a stinger pointed at him. He dove forward to evade the mechanical wasp. Silver froze the Buzz Bomber and kicked it into another that tried to fly right at him.

"Thanks, man," Spot had a sigh of relief.

"It's my pleasure. I got your back," winked Silver.

Knuckles was able to glide up a skyscraper when a couple of Buzz Bombers taunted him. He landed several punches with his spiked hands, ramming their faces into the metal building. When he landed on the rooftop, he went fist-first, punching the crap out of more bees and a crowd of Egg Pawns.

"Heck yeah! Now _this_ is more satisfying!" he smirked. Knuckles safely returned to his group as he saw the combatants defend against the remaining Badniks. To his content, they were holding their own ground without a lot of trouble. There were only a few minor injuries, but no one was complaining nor were they severely hurt. Every animal kept going on strong which was something the Commander liked to see.

"I wonder how the rest are doing," Blaze thought to herself.

"I'm sure they're alright like we are," consoled Silver.

"More Badniks straight ahead! We can corner them in one of the alleys!" instructed Spot.

"You heard him, squadrons! Let's get to it!" yelled Knuckles.

* * *

Somewhere in the heart of the city, the blue hedgehog led his crew up the middle towards the Metropolitan Highway. He was grinding on some orange rails that spiraled below to a set of rooftop buildings. A winding pathway was filled with tons of Egg Pawns and Nebulas. Amy spun around to whack them with her hammer, Sonic performed successive spin attacks, and Savage, Cole, and the other animals fired their weapons to blow up the Badniks.

"It's not too dark for anyone to see, is it?" Cole asked.

"Nope! My glasses may not be built with night vision, but it's clear for me with the building lights," Savage replied.

"That's good to hear because we need to find Eggman fast!" declared Sonic, his eyes filled with determination and hope. "Chasing him is always my specialty. Once we track him, we'll definitely get payback against him, or our squad wouldn't be named the Revengeful Resistance!"

Hopping off a bumper, the protagonists flew over an elongated section of the highway. They noticed a grid of hatches releasing several missiles at a time. While descending, Sonic and his friends darted the weapons without getting hit. As soon as they landed, the party rushed through a few Dash Panels while navigating the slanted road. They came across a bunch of Egg Walkers running in the same direction as them. However, one of them noticed the Blue Blur and fired a few missiles at him while fleeing.

"OW!"

"Sonic! Are you okay?" Amy came up to him.

"Urgh, I'm fine. Hey, birdbrain! Try fighting me rather than running away like a bunch of cowards!"

Before the pink hedgehog could blink, she saw him surge away, knocking out the ostriches with some homing attacks. She sighed to herself that she was left alone, but Savage reunited with her.

"Come on. We don't want to be too far behind."

Amy smiled when he offered his hand. She took and ran alongside him with Cole and their troops taking care of the Buzz Bombers on the sides of the road.

While he was far ahead, Sonic routed over the city lights and reached the top of a building with several lights illuminating the subsequent path, giving him a decent view of the obstacles. A few platforms were floating nearby. Step by step, Sonic was careful to jump from one to another without going too fast. When the platforms moved in a quick motion, he held on tightly so the momentum wouldn't let him fly off. He soared over a few more bottomless pits and evaded several spike traps until he reached the next rooftop.

"Uh oh! Better jump quickly!"

That's because the next set of platforms were set up to transport into a wall of spikes. He timed his leaps perfectly to avoid the sharp points.

Sonic dashed along, striking more Egg Pawns on the skyscrapers as they plummeted to the very bottom.

"See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya!" he mocked while grinding around a large building.

"Sonic!" he heard Amy through his communicator. "I'm detecting Eggman near your location! We'll catch up to you as soon as we can!"

"Gotcha! In fact, I see his fat head from here!"

He bounced on a launch pad that led him directly to the roof of Eggman's Central Tower. And when he landed, the blue hero scowled at his lifelong enemy, sneering in his Egg Mobile. Orbot and Cubot were floating beside him, both with slightly anxious faces.

Sonic was more than eager to initiate an act of reprisal against the one who ruined his reputation and home six months ago.

Little did he know that Eggman had something up his sleeves yet again.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

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 _An important note to mention is that with the way I set up the time and deadline of the 'potential end of the world', the start of this chapter began at night rather than the middle of the final day. In here, there was a time skip to decrease the countdown to five hours heading into the Metropolitan Highway level. That was how long Eggman had prearranged to execute his master plan at the point. Therefore, the setting for this scene takes place past midnight before the sun rises. (I'm not talking about the usual sun...)_

 _Even though Sonic encountered Eggman in Metropolis during the day in Forces, this is the timeline I'm going with for my sake. So yeah, please don't bother me about the revision. I'm just a guy in my 20s, pathetically writing stories for a hobby._

 _Regardless, I want to personally thank one of my friends, Infinite's Ruby, for her feedback. She helped me through the timeline with the changes I've mentioned above._

 _To wrap this up, most of you should know what will come next. And trust me, it probably won't be pretty. Either way, let me know how this one went, and don't forget to follow/favorite for updates if you haven't already. Until then, I'll see you in Ch. 32 of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

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 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _It was difficult for me to give the Resistance teams some action aside from Sonic's portion of the Metropolitan Highway. With Team Dark, I included the Egg Walkers since I never included them prior to this chapter. Other than that, I hope it wasn't very analogous to Operation Big Wave._


	32. Ch 32: Null Space

_A/N: No, this is not a joke or some Virtual Reality nightmare. I am back with another chapter of Revengeful Resistance. I would like to thank Tiger of Darkness, Infinite's Ruby, Oderus, SpiderDom321, Golden Eye, Alexandria Prime, Dayman, and Guest for your reviews. Now, for some boring notes._

 _I made an edit all the way back in Ch. 13 which I think is unnecessary to point out. Only if you want, you can view that chapter to see the change. (It's honestly not worth it.)_

 _As a background, I want to say that the cutscene prior to this level was mediocre in my eyes. Null Space itself felt something like what Eggman said; it had nothing. They literally had Sonic and the Avatar get sucked in and have them running/boosting out of there in just a matter of seconds without any real effort. It felt lazy, and I wanted to revise this part from the day I drafted the outline of this fanfic. Whether my version feels recycled or not, I can only hope I gave you something out of this. Only one way to find out..._

 _Lastly, most of this chapter is told from Sonic's perspective, but there are some third-person scenes that do not fit with his narration. Because of this, I'll be placing line breaks and a set of three asterisks **(***)** to signify a POV change. Only when you see those asterisks will the perspectives alternate. That way, I don't have to write out 'End of POV' until I officially conclude the chapter. If this doesn't make any sense, maybe it will as you read along. Either way, I hope you all enjoy!_

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 _Disclaimer: One of my least favorite levels, in terms of creativity and missed opportunities, is coming up. I don't own Sonic, the characters, or the game in real life. Also, there is a lot of constant swearing found throughout this chapter._

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 **Chapter 32:** Null Space

 _~Sonic's POV_

Is it very wrong to say that after all that has ensued, I genuinely want to beat the fucking shit out of Eggman so badly right now?

He kidnapped my best friend. Then he tortured and brainwashed him with a dangerous jewel that's arguably as powerful as a single Chaos Emerald. He vandalized several zones, including Red Gate City. He tricked me into thinking that Tails was killed. He made suffer six months of torment with that assumption stuck in my mind. My friends had lost so many soldiers trying to fight back, both with and without my assistance.

And it was all because of Eggman.

Seeing that stupid grin on his face disgusts me... It's so punchable.

Sometimes, you can't judge a book by its cover. I've never thought the doctor was this merciless since the day I first met him. He has been annoying for sure, but on rare occasions, he can show a change of heart... and then he'd revert back to his usual self. His state of evil has reached a new high since this war began.

Time after time, whenever I faced him, he tried everything he could to outsmart me. Yet I would always come out on top. Back when I had those victories, I couldn't care less about Eggman's feelings. Sort of. He would always complain about how he couldn't beat me, and it felt satisfying, to say the least. As weird as it sounds, I enjoyed the thrill of fighting him every now and then because it would give me something to do. Existing in a world where I do nothing is boring. I live for adventure. And since I encountered Eggman for the first time, I strived to protect my home and the animals so that they wouldn't endure an unpleasant fate.

Additionally, after I met Tails, I made a vow to protect my friends, even if it means putting my own life on the line. Over the course of my journeys, I met more people who were just as capable as me. Knuckles, Amy, Shadow, Silver... The list goes on and on. While the group of pals got larger, it meant I had a ton of people to keep safe.

That doesn't mean they can't do anything.

They've all helped me in my travels, and I couldn't be more grateful to have allies like that. Eggman doesn't know that feeling unless he's forced to team up with me unexpectedly, like the time he joined me and Tails to stop the Deadly Six. Or the time when we used the Chaos Emeralds to prevent Space Colony ARK from crashing into the planet. **_(1)_**

But when you take a look at the present, this was a much different Eggman. Never have I ever had a moment where I wanted him dead more than now.

However, there was a part of me that thinks it's _wrong_ for me to kill him. I did discuss this with Knuckles prior to Operation Big Wave. It made me wonder.

Would it be worth it to end his games? What would people think of me if I did such a thing? What would my friends think? What would my little bro think?

What would _I_ think?

At this point, I was conflicted. And my thoughts were immediately washed away when I heard Eggman speak.

"Good evening, Sonic! Or rather, nice to see you in the middle of the night! It's delightful that you were keen enough to arrive at your funeral!"

Uninterested at his remark, I lowered my left eyelid in irritation.

"What? You should know I'm being somewhat sarcastic. But half of it is true! I can't wait to witness your demise for good, especially since I let you free."

I tightened my fists and clenched my teeth. "Where's Tails?"

"I'm sorry... Tails?" he replied with obvious sarcasm in his annoying voice.

"Tell me _now_."

That fish-eating grin was back. "Oh, Sonic... I don't think you have a clue. Don't you remember that I killed him long ago?"

"Don't _fucking_ lie to me." Geez, did I really say that? I usually don't sound that aggressive. 'Annoyed' is a more appropriate term. But man, I legitimately almost got scared of my own voice. "I know what you truly did, and I want my little bro back!"

"Hmm... So you figured it out. I mean, I guess you were due to learning about it. Whether it was immediately after my victory, during your imprisonment, or just recently, I'm _ecstatic_ to learn that you know the truth."

My face remained angry. That shouldn't come off as a surprise.

"Indeed. About a month before I invaded Red Gate, I discovered the Phantom Ruby back on Angel Island. I experimented it to tap into the true powers of the artifact. And once I understood how it worked, I used it to my benefit to coax your _partner_ into becoming my latest and most successful weapon of all time."

Ugh, is he trying to paraphrase his diary entries? I don't need to be reminded of this!

"The pros outweighed the cons, and it was executed superbly that I relished the moment I finally defeated you, Sonic the Hedgehog. And you can thank the little monstrosity for everything."

"Don't _call_ him that! And don't even dare mention the 'f' word towards him either!" I spat at him with pure rage.

"What word, Sonic? Oh, you mean... the little _freak_?"

I charged straight at him with a spin dash, but he blocked me with a barrier. I bounced back onto the roof, groaning.

"Face it, Sonic. You and your pathetic animal friends may have taken back most of the world, but I still have plenty of surprises for you."

I seriously can't stand this guy anymore. "I'm going to ask you again, and I want a direct answer. Where... is... Tails?"

He didn't respond immediately. I was getting fed up and prepared to attack again until he moved the Egg Mobile to his right. From behind, I saw him. He was there, a changed person for the worse by force. It was still the same guy. A ruthless jackal on the outside, but a kind, two-tailed kitsune on the inside.

 _"Tails..."_

My heart couldn't stop beating fast. It had been since Operation Big Wave when I came face-to-face with him. He nearly killed Savage, but I know the real Tails from within would not be happy about it. I just need to get to him. Talk to him through the mask that concealed him. I recalled how he had some sort of breakdown before leaving me, Amy, and Savage in the tower. Hopefully, he won't run away. Not when I need him the most.

"Tails?" my voice softened for him. "Are you there? It's me, Sonic. Remember?"

In his Infinite persona, he didn't reply or move at all. He remained afloat from his spot in between Eggman and Orbot. His eye was staring at me, but I couldn't tell if there was any emotion or if it was dull and lifeless.

"Tails? Buddy?" I desperately asked.

Eggman chuckled to himself. "Too bad, Sonic. He's still on my side of this war. Knowing him, he'd probably be left on the sidelines while you do all the work. But it's what you want after all. You don't want him to get hurt, so you'll leave him behind and make him feel useless."

"Hey! He's not useless! And I don't always leave him!"

Actually, now that I think about it, I _did_ keep Tails away from the action whenever there was danger. At the Lost Hex, at Eggman's intergalactic amusement park, the time I became a 'Werehog'... Ugh, the memories on _that_ adventure...

But going back to what Eggman said, was he truly right? Have I been neglecting Tails to join me regularly on my adventures? And if so, is that part of the reason why he thinks negatively about himself?

"Whatever. That doesn't convince me in the slightest," Eggman retorted.

"Sonic!" I heard Amy from behind. She was right next to Savage and Cole who managed to catch up to me. All three stood behind by a few feet.

"Stay back, guys!" I warned them.

"Eggman..." Savage glared at him.

"Ah, yes. You're one of the rookies who has helped that gullible, idiotic echidna leader and his furry pals. I slightly remember you. By the way, how's your little sibling?"

"Shut the fuck up, you oversized egg sack! I'm not afraid of you like I was before!"

"Is that so? Your parents must be proud of you. Oh, wait. I forgot. They're already dead."

Okay. _That_ was uncalled for. The sneer under his ugly mustache added insult to injury. Peering at my wolf friend, I could easily tell that he was very livid.

"Anyway, since your worthless fox friend no longer exists, he's my little helper! And I've already planned another glorious opportunity for your life to end! Infinite, do it!"

I glimpsed back at the possessed Tails. As I pondered about the worst that could happen, what baffled me was the fact that Infinite didn't move an inch. His head was slightly tilted down.

"Infinite?" Eggman growled.

Still, no movement. No talking. Nothing at all.

"What's going on?" Cole whispered to the others.

"I don't know," Amy barely spoke loud enough for me to hear.

Orbot and Cubot gave each other glances like they used to do when I was trapped in the Death Egg. I can only expect that this was not going to be good. Otherwise, I had another theory in mind.

Was Tails able to hear me earlier? Is he trying to resist Eggman's commands? I could only hope.

"If you don't do what I tell you to do, I will put _it_ back on. Do you understand me?!"

Going off from memory, Eggman did say in his journal that he give Tails a shock collar before he transformed into Infinite. If he had the gall to harm him right in front of me, Eggman's got another thing coming for him.

I was thinking a big kick in the nuts, but that alone wouldn't even the playing field. In my eyes, at least.

"INFINITE! DO IT NOW!"

The next thing I heard was a shaky breath from within Infinite's mask. I watched him raise his right arm up high before the ruby shone menacingly. With his palm stretched out towards me, a purple and black sphere released from his fingers. The ball floated near me before it stopped in place. However, it started to convulse. Orbot and Cubot started panicking and floated away from Eggman and Infinite.

"W-What is that?" I slightly stuttered.

"This was something I discovered during a more recent experiment with the Phantom Ruby," answered Eggman. "This, my spiky, little frenemy, is something I like to call 'Null Space'."

"Null Space?" I repeated.

"This special kind of power was something I cooked up with the negative energy from the Phantom Ruby. It's a dimensionless, closed-off space where absolutely nothing exists! Therefore, my soon-to-be-eradicated nemesis, I want you to enjoy a life filled with nothing. And therefore, you shall _be_ nothing once you're finally gone! But as a small consolation prize... Infinite! Defeat him once again and bring him to me when you're done! I want to make sure I see his body beaten up, but not dead. It'll be like the first time in Red Gate. All I want is to deliver the final blow myself."

"NO! Don't you dare!" Amy shrieked.

But it was too late. Eggman had flown away to keep his distance away. Infinite summoned a red orb into the purple void before the ball expanded and caused the city to rumble. Acting quickly, I pushed everyone away to prevent them from getting sucked in.

"SONIC!" Cole and Amy shouted.

At that moment, all I cared about was that my friends weren't going to be trapped in the empty space. What I didn't expect was a hand grasping onto mine as I was being pulled in. While my lower half was stuck inside, I looked up and was shocked to see Savage struggling to hold onto me. He had his grappling hook for support, the cable attached to the edge of the skyscraper.

"S-Savage?! What are you doing?!"

"What do you think?! I'm trying to save you! I'm not letting you die! Your friends will never live with it!"

"But you're my friend, too! You'll be trapped in here as well! Save yourself!"

"In my sleep, I would! But not today!"

"Savage! Please!" Amy cried as she and Cole held onto a metal vent for dear life. "What about Raff?!"

The wolf stared at her with, from what I presumed, a bit of regret. "Tell him... that I'll always love him... And... I'm sorry..."

I blinked once. Savage... Why does he sound hopeless this time? Why is he sacrificing himself?

Before I could answer my own questions, Infinite went into the void. The cable that supported Savage broke, causing both me and him to get sucked in from the inescapable winds.

I screamed.

And just like that, the void disappeared. I was trapped. Trapped in Null Space.

* * *

 **(***)**

...

"SONIC!"

Amy had tears flowing down her face, devastated to see two of her friends become lost in a hollow abyss of nothing. Cole tried to comfort her, but she couldn't stop bawling. A shuttle landed behind them moments later. Out came Raff and the Chaotix. The trio immediately ran over to the hedgehog for support.

"Amy, we're so sorry," said Espio, despondent. She threw her arms around him, to which he accepted after the tragedy.

"We saw everything from up there," Vector moaned.

"I can't believe it! Sonic and Savage are gone!" wailed Charmy.

Raff stood where the void used to be, feeling baffled by what occurred. "I don't understand. We went to Chemical Plant to hack the computer and abolished the Death Egg. The Phantom Ruby shouldn't have been active after that."

Eggman returned to the Central Tower. "Tsk, tsk. If it isn't the little wolf who cried... er, 'boy'... **_(2)_** Uh, yeah, let's go with that. Anyway, since you meddlesome furballs ALWAYS destroy the power source of my older weapons, I have learned from my mistakes and devised a secondary plan. There is a backup power source created under Metropolis, which allowed the Phantom Ruby to activate Null Space, which was what you witnessed."

"I don't believe it," Espio muttered.

"Well, you aren't dreaming. And now, we wait for the inevitable," he rubbed his hands with delight and malice. "I hope you enjoy roasted hedgehog for dinner."

Amy, Raff, Cole, and the Chaotix could only stare at the doctor leaving them. While they took a lot of time to recover, Cole called Knuckles to deliver a horrific update.

"Commander, I have some bad news for you..."

* * *

 **(***)**

...

Ow... Everything hurts again.

At least for now, I wasn't entirely unconscious nor was my memory fuzzy. But I do feel my body pressed against a cold floor. When I opened my eyes, that's when I saw purple. Too much purple, in fact.

This was different compared to Virtual Reality. Based off what Eggman told me, I was in this empty void. True to his word, there was literally _nothing_ here. Except for me... and...

"SAVAGE!" I instantly got up on my feet.

I searched around until I found the rookie. He was also lying on the ground. Except he looked much worse. I couldn't perceive any movements from his fingers or his feet. The only indication was whether or not he had a pulse. If he got killed, Raff will never forgive me.

Carefully turning his body around, I laid two fingers over the veins in his wrist. Thankfully, I felt a beat. I gently shook his shoulders.

"Savage. Savage, wake up."

The wolf stirred and groaned. His heterochromatic eyes blinked for a while as he regained his vision.

"H-Huh? S-Sonic?"

"Yeah, it's me, bud."

Another rough groan escaped his mouth. I pulled him up into a sitting position, checking on him to see if he was alright.

"Dude, you okay?"

"I... I think so."

"Thank goodness," I sighed. Then, I noticed a guilty look on his face. "Hey, is something wrong?"

Savage shook his head. But he wasn't denying my question. He was upset instead. "I could've saved you. I _should've_. But I got us stuck here. I let you and everyone else down."

My lips curved into a frown. "No, you didn't. We're still alive."

"How can you be sure? What if this is another nightmare? Or worse... What if we're in limbo or something? How do I know you're not a ghost or some virtual clone?"

"Because..." It took me a while to muster up an answer. "Remember when you, Raff, and the Chaotix found me in the Death Egg? We ran back to the shuttle and eventually had a fight at the headquarters?" I received a nod. Okay, making progress. "We both felt guilty at ourselves, and we made up. Then we teamed up on several occasions: destroying the Arsenal Pyramid, Operation Big Wave, Sudden Death Egg, and just recently our second ambush in Metropolis. You remember all those times, right?"

"...I do."

"Yeah. And earlier, we got sucked into this void. Although we got stuck, you risked your life to rescue me. That was probably one of your best moments."

"Really? You think so?"

"Yeah! If that doesn't define bravery, then I don't know what does! Savage, you've come a long way to not only help my friends fight in this war, but you've grown as an individual. For the Resistance, for your friends, for me, and especially for Raff."

He looked back at me with an enlightened expression. It made me smile, and he did the same.

"Thank you, Sonic."

"It's no problem. Now we have to figure out a way out of here."

"You're right," Savage said as we both stood up. Taking a peek around, we were both lost. "I don't even know if we can run anywhere."

"Me either. Maybe-"

"SONIC! LOOK OUT!"

"WHOA!"

Savage and I ducked when a laser shot right at us. My ears recoiled as I heard it zip past, nearly hitting us in the heads. My first instinct was that Infinite – as much as I hate to imagine – fired that laser. Eggman must be forcing Tails to hurt me as he did in Red Gate.

Only this time, I _know_ he's the one hurting me.

Just then, I heard Savage gasp. Unaware of the situation, I glanced up and discovered why he sounded terrified. Standing ten feet away from us was not Infinite. It was a short, red-furred wolf with a laser gun held in his right hand.

"No..." Savage mumbled.

It was Raff, roboticized. His body covered in metal equipment. His eyes that used to be green like mine were both gray and lifeless. His cold stare made his older brother freeze. I couldn't move either as the image was tattooed inside my brain.

Later, we both spotted Infinite, hovering right next to Raff.

"Welcome to your latest nightmare. Rather than inflicting you with Virtual Reality, here we are in a world of emptiness. Unfortunately for you two, this is the end of the road. There's nowhere to escape. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide."

I took a bold step in front of Savage, reaching a hand out in front of him like I usually do when I'm protecting someone. I coughed a bit as my throat which felt raspy. Finding my voice again, I spoke up to the jackal.

"Tails, please listen to me. Don't say those things. You're under Eggman's control, and I know that the Phantom Ruby is influencing your mind. You want to break free, and we want to help you to return to normal. With your aid, we can overcome Eggman and get our revenge. Just please come back to me, buddy... I miss you..."

Infinite maintained his posture. I was anxious to think that he was going to ignore me like every other instance. Then, he floated over to me. Savage was slightly confused, as am I. When he stopped a few inches from my face and landed, I waited for his next gesture.

I mean... Just from looking down at him... I can see he's still the same height as he was six months ago. Well, maybe he grew a little. Nonetheless, it's unnerving to think that this jackal was my little buddy. Now, he seemed to be on the verge of attacking me again.

If he was going to harm me or Savage...

...God, I can't fight back. I _can't_ hurt him! That time when I faced the clone in Mystic Jungle was an exception once I apprehended it wasn't the actual Tails.

But this was _real_.

Weirdly enough, however, he opened his arms out, like he was going for a hug. I didn't fully trust it, but if it meant that Tails could hear me, I'll take it. So, with caution, I also extended my arms and came toward him.

"Sonic... What are you doing here?"

I ignored Savage as I prayed to get my brother back.

All that hope was soon lost.

"AUGH!"

"SONIC!"

I felt a hard fist against my ribcage. Another hit me under the chin with an uppercut. My momentum pushed me into Savage as we fell onto the purple ground. I should've figured that it wasn't meant to be. I wasn't shocked at all. Just heartbroken.

"Balderdash. This will be the last time I will say this. That name no longer means anything. It's useless and irrelevant. Once this is over, you'll join the afterlife with him."

"But you're alive, Tails! You're just stuck as Eggman's slave!"

His fists came close to striking me again.

"Nonsense. He's as fake as that wolf in red."

"What?" Savage grunted. "Are you saying that you made a Raff clone?!"

Infinite hesitated for a few seconds. "I've said too much. But that's enough! I'm tired of being told what to do!"

"Then you can resist against Eggman's commands, Tails!" I beseeched.

"Stop saying that name! I'm tired of this shit! I'm gonna end this once and for all!"

I was kinda caught off guard when I heard him cuss. I don't like it when he does it since he's still a kid. Crap. I should've kept my own mouth shut since he got it from me.

Pushing that aside, I was in a bigger predicament. I had to fight the actual Tails. For Savage, he had to face a clone of his own younger brother. Although this was going to be brutal, we don't have any other options.

* * *

 **(***)**

...

"What do you mean he's gone missing?!" Knuckles bellowed through the communicator. Cole told him every single detail about what happened.

"He got sucked into a black hole with one of the rookies."

"Savage... So, he's gone, too?"

"I hate to confirm it, sir. But that's what Amy and I witnessed."

"Don't forget about us!" Vector shouted in the background. Knuckles could barely hear the distant sobbing from Charmy and Amy.

"This can't be happening! And how exactly did the Phantom Ruby even activate?"

"Eggman said he had a secret generator beneath the city that supplied the same negative energy that the Death Egg had," clarified Raff.

"You're kidding me."

"If only I was."

"Damn it! This is despicable! Now our ambush has fallen apart again!"

"No, it hasn't! Let's just take care of this city and regroup! If Sonic was here, he's gonna hate us for standing here and mourning for him!" attested Silver.

"He's right. We should at least take the zone so we can gain more territory for ourselves," Blaze concurred.

"We can also corner the doctor to wherever he'll retreat after this," Shadow added through the call.

"Might as well go with that," Knuckles was disappointed. "I sure hope they're alright though."

* * *

 **(***)**

...

Save Tails first. Blame yourself later. That was the approach I had in my mind.

Since I was more prepared and focused, I wasn't letting my guard down like in Red Gate. I ran across the strange tiles to evade Infinite's attacks. The orbs he sent at me all missed. I sneaked a glimpse at Savage who had his Burst Wispon. I know he's being pressured to confront a fake Raff, but he's practically in the same scenario that I was a few days ago.

The second I shifted my attention to the jackal, I skidded against the floor and waited until Infinite threw more of his electric orbs at me. Mentally kicking myself in the face, I sidestepped and landed a spin dash on his mask. He was knocked back a few feet, shaking his head from the collision. As I landed, my face was full of regret.

 _"I'm sorry, bud... Please hang on."_

Infinite quickly recovered and flew straight at me. I leaped in the air to avoid a nasty punch. In the process, my feet landed on his... single tail. (It just doesn't _sound_ nor _look_ right...) Doing so caused his entire body to collapse. Savage, who was busy making acrobatic flips to avoid Raff's lasers, was able to run over to Infinite and hopped on his head. He turned around and ignited the flames to burn the Raff duplicate.

Yeah, I know. That also sounds cruel, but it'd be more fucked up if it was his _actual_ brother. We can only thank Chaos it wasn't the case.

"Don't run away," said Raff, completely monotone. "Join the legion and you will not be punished."

"You're nothing like my brother! He would never join the enemy side!"

"Whatever you say. Refusing to concede will only result in dire consequences for you."

The wolf retaliated with another streak of fire and performed a homing attack against the replica. I guess you could say Savage was... well, a savage. Ugh, why am I making a joke right now? This is serious!

Infinite managed to swipe his tail underneath my shoes, making me slip onto the ground. I was immediately tackled by him and we started rolling through the blank dimension. Attempting to stay on top and pin him down, I failed to keep him at bay as he pushed me off of him. Flying right at me, I lifted my feet in the air, making contact with his torso as I shifted him away from me. He tumbled onto his stomach, groaning from the pain. Containing my remorse, I drilled my quills against the back of his mask. Like hell would I try to pierce his fragile body.

"You're going to play that rough, huh?! Get back here, hedgehog!" snarled Infinite.

"I'm not intending to do this on purpose! We can end this right here, right now, Tails! Just stop, and I won't have to injure you!"

"You must think I'm stupid if you think I'm going to listen to your advice!"

"No, I don't! I'm trying to do both of us a favor!"

"Some favor," he spat. "Yield to me!"

"Never. Not when I want you back..."

Savage was having a less stressful time since he was winning against the Raff duplicate, inflicting the fake wolf with his Wispon and exploiting his grappling hook to dodge the lasers.

"Do you give up, big bro?"

"How dare you call me that?! You aren't the real Raff!"

"That hurts, Savage. You know how much you mean to me."

"I would feel the same way if you weren't a cheap imitation!"

A burst of flames and a successive spin dash was all it took for Savage to deal the finisher. When Raff coasted into the purple background, red glitches spawned over his body. Seconds later, his body dematerialized with red cubes spewing out. Now that he was gone, Savage came over to help me cease Infinite's assault.

"Savage! Let's do a double boost!"

"Are you sure about that?!" Savage was concerned, which I instantly understood. "I don't want to hurt him as much as I did back in Metropolis."

"We gotta find some way to stop him and get out of this place! I literally don't know what else to do!"

"Only if you say so, then I'll go by your word."

"Come on!"

"Ignorant fools... Don't even think about it!"

As Savage and I jumped and shared a high five, we crouched and spun our bodies, aiming at the one I never wanted to wound. But this was for a desperate reason. "HERE WE GO!" I screamed.

We both rammed into the Phantom Ruby. We were going so fast that we dragged Infinite hundreds of feet inside the dimension. And the next thing we knew, a white light consumed the entire abyss. **_(3)_**

* * *

To my relief, Savage, Infinite, and I exited the Null Space and coincidentally landed on the roof of a different skyscraper. However, Eggman was busy lounging around with his hands resting behind his head. Orbot was the one to notice us.

"Um, excuse me? Boss?"

"Urgh, what is it?"

"You might want to turn around..."

"Turn around? Why do you want me to- WHAT?! You're out of the Null Space already?! And..." his teeth gritted, "INFINITE!"

Feeling nervous for the transformed jackal, I watched him approach the doctor. Please, I don't want him to be harmed even more.

"You had ONE job, Infinite! ONE JOB! And yet you failed miserably again!"

He didn't reply at all. Savage and I could tell he doesn't want to hear the fatso rant at him.

"I should've known..." Eggman's voice lowered before he slapped Orbot and Cubot's heads in frustration. "Forget this! I won't let your incompetence overshadow anything! Besides, I, Dr. Eggman, will have the last laugh! I'll let you go this time, Sonic, but feel free to try and chase me. You're still going to lose no matter what! Minions! Come!"

Maybe he'd be more successful he didn't address himself in the third person. Then again, what am I to say since I'm talking to you guys?

"Sonic," Savage swiftly tapped my shoulder. He pointed at Infinite whose eyes were planted at Orbot and Cubot (who were attempting to catch up to Eggman). Before he could take off, I yelled at him.

"Tails, wait!"

He peered at Savage and me with his lonely eye. I didn't say anything as I was desperate to hear a response and prayed for him to stay behind.

"INFINITE!" Eggman shouted at him.

The jackal shook his head and left, gliding into the late-night sky.

I didn't call out his name again. I didn't beg for him to come back.

My shoulders slumped, legs were bent, eyes watered up... I couldn't take it. A single droplet slid down my face, and a sob barely escaped from my mouth. Honestly though, I didn't care that Savage was nearby to witness it. I hated to show off my emotions in public. But after I tried, and tried, and tried... I still wasn't able to save my buddy.

I only caused pain. And it's all my fault...

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Am I a piece of garbage or not? If you say that I'm not, you're automatically wrong. Either way, that concludes my rendition of Null Space as I despised that level in the game. I explained more about it in the PCN. With the possessed Tails on the loose, where did he and Eggman go? What does this mean for the Resistance? And how will Sonic recover?_

 _I'm more than likely to not write out the next chapter soon since I want to go back to New Brotherhood at some point. Regardless, I appreciate all of you for reading. Be sure to follow/favorite for notifications, and please review so I can know what you think of this story so far! Until then, I'll see you next time for Ch. 33 of Revengeful Resistance. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _There have been some rare occurrences where Sonic and Eggman had to push aside their differences and join forces together. Examples of this can be found in Sonic Lost World and Sonic Adventure 2. (Correct me if I'm wrong about the latter.)_

 ** _(2):_** _This ain't 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'. At least Eggman didn't scare away any sheep or ate Raff. Otherwise, I might boost the rating to 'M'._

 ** _(3):_** _I just don't understand why the developers thought it was a cool idea to trap Sonic and the Avatar in Null Space yet have the two simply double boost their way out like it was no big deal. Not only was it lazy, but it was also uneventfully anticlimactic. For my version, I had Sonic and Savage face the possessed Tails and a Raff clone as an attempt to mess with the Avatar's mind, which failed._


	33. Ch 33: Endgame?

_A/N: After catching up on New Brotherhood, I have returned to this story after a month as we're entering the final stages of the war. Thanks to everyone for **320 reviews** (because my blunder is still there). The last chapter was one of my personal favorites because of the first-person perspective, and I'm glad several of you enjoyed reading Sonic's thoughts. It's only the middle of the grind though. And he's still far away to save Tails._

 _So, what does the future hold? Will our heroes finally seize the moment to take down the doctor? Or will Eggman's scheme begin a new deathly phase?_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog or the main characters. I'm only responsible for Savage, Raff, the other OCs, and the story idea._

* * *

 **Chapter 33:** Endgame? _**(1)**_

Nearly two hours after Sonic and Savage's disappearances, the rest of the Revengeful Resistance fruitfully defeated all of the robots and didn't miss a single sentry within the fortified, futuristic city. Although they officially captured the territory, most of the squad was not pleased to hear Sonic gone AWOL again. It wasn't like the Death Egg, but any situation without Mobius's biggest hero made them worrisome.

Spot, Blaze, Collar, Silver, and Team Dark rejoined Knuckles and the others on the rooftop of the Central Tower before they began hunting for their missing allies. Amy and Charmy have mostly recovered from their emotions. It took a while for the pink hedgehog to stop crying and regain her composure. She hated how vulnerable and broken she appeared in front of everyone. In her defense, Amy wanted nothing more than for Sonic to remain alive. Thinking of the worst possibilities, it was discouraging for her to believe that her idol was gone for good. And poor Tails was caught up in the middle of it again.

As much as she fought through more salty tears that were so close to falling from her eyelids, Amy remembered all the times Sonic told her to not grieve if something happened to him. However, it was tough the first time around, as well as every other moment where Sonic got himself in every other dangerous situation. In her mind, she couldn't help but mourn.

Raff was also riding an emotional roller coaster. All he could think about was his older brother, which isn't very surprising. He didn't physically express fear or sadness. It was tucked inside his soul as he was unable to accept the idea that Savage was truly deceased. To make matters worse, Eggman explained about the backup generator for the Phantom Ruby. That not only shocked and bemused Raff, but it also intrigued him. He realized that they were bamboozled about the ruby being inert. And it made him wonder something else...

Was there another secret the doctor could be hiding?

"We've been at this search for so long! We're wasting more time now that Eggman is gone doing who knows what!" Shadow complained.

"Well, we can't go right after him until we find Sonic and the rookie! They have to be here somewhere!" Spot protested.

"Unless they're dead..." Rouge mumbled miserably.

"Don't you dare say that," Knuckles chastised.

"I'm just saying! What if we get our hopes high again only to have them crushed? It's a fact of the matter!"

"It's not a fact that Sonic and Savage are dead unless I see it with my own eyes."

"What gave you the justification to confirm that thought?" questioned Espio.

"I mean, unless all of us find out about it, I won't believe in the idea that they're gone."

"Knuckles is right," said Raff, whose eyes were planted on the ground. Because of this, he didn't see the many stares directed at him. "It's too early to make assumptions. Albeit, it's getting late to the point where we might need a panic button with us right now. It's already four in the morning, meaning we have about three hours remaining until Eggman initiates his ultimate death trap... or whatever it is."

"Has anyone been lucky to get in contact with Sonic or Savage on their communicators?" Collar inquired.

"We've tried several times earlier in the middle of our search," Vector answered.

"And you got nothing?"

"Sadly, yes."

"I got nothing on my end, too," Charmy moped.

Blaze let out a long yawn, covering her mouth. "Pardon me. I'm sorry, guys. I'm trying my best to stay awake even after we overthrew Metropolis."

"I don't blame you, Blaze," assured Silver. "We're all tired. It's just that we can't stop due to the circumstances."

"Of course. I feel like I need caffeine or something to keep me awake."

"I've got some energy bars in my emergency satchel," told Cole. "Everyone can take one so we can fuel up for the next confrontation."

Everyone besides Omega ate their quick snack as they now felt somewhat galvanized. Just before they were about to resume their pursuit, Knuckles received a call.

"Guys! It's from Savage!"

Raff turned to the Commander and started tugging on his arm. "Don't just stand there! Answer it!"

"Alright, alright! Give me some space please!" After tapping some buttons, he mumbled, "Hello?"

"Commander? Oh, thank goodness you're here."

"I should be the one saying that, Rookie. Where the hell are you?"

"Where's Sonic?!" Amy desperately demanded.

"And why didn't you reply to us sooner?!"

On Savage's end, he remained on the same rooftop where he landed with Sonic after escaping Null Space. The Blue Blur was sitting on the edge of a ventilation fan with his elbows on his knees and his hands scrunched up against his cheeks.

"In advance, I sincerely apologize. Yet as much as we worried all of you, now isn't a good time to start imploding on us."

"Why not?" Shadow muttered.

"Just trust me."

"Can we at least talk to Sonic so we can hear him?" Amy implored.

"Sonic's not in a good mood right now," he whispered into the microphone, even though he was twenty feet away from the hedgehog.

"Can you at least tell us what happened?" the red-furred leader asked. "From what Amy, Cole, and the Chaotix saw, you vanished into some kind of black hole. You were absent for nearly two hours."

His eyes metaphorically popped out of his glasses. "Two hours? Shit, I didn't know we were stuck there for that long."

"Savage? Can you answer my question?"

"Yeah, sorry. So after Sonic and I got sucked in, this is what happened."

The teenage wolf explained how Sonic was forced to fight Infinite within the empty dimension. He clarified how horrible he felt before, during, and after the uncongenial combat. The gang felt like a knife cut through their hearts. From the beginning, they knew how much Sonic was protective and compassionate towards his best friend. So for him to deal with the cruel idea of hurting the real Tails, along with the fact that it _actually_ occurred, they comprehended why Sonic was feeling down. It was part of the reason why he and Savage didn't respond to their friends.

"Where are you now?"

"On top of one of the skyscrapers. I don't know exactly which one since this isn't the Central Tower. But to make it easier, we'll just meet you at the entrance from where we started."

"Savage, you don't have to do that. If you said Sonic needs time to cope, then we'll just let him rest and pick him up in one of the shuttles."

"Are you sure about that, sir?"

"I think it's for the best."

"Then I'll tell him to wait."

"Good. Just stay put and we'll track you down."

"Savage, I'm glad you're alright," Raff spoke.

"Me too, Raff," the older brother sighed. "Me too."

After hanging up, Savage slightly raised his glasses with his hands, pinching his nose in frustration. Exhaling again, he turned to see Sonic, still in his dejected state. The rookie walked over to his friend and took a seat beside him. He made sure to give him some space though.

"If you were wondering, I was talking to Knuckles and the others.. They were all concerned about us since we got trapped in Null Space. I told them we were okay, and they're coming to pick us up."

Sonic simply blinked and nodded his head once. Savage was at least happy on the inside that he acknowledged him. Ever since he had his minor breakdown, the wolf asked him if he needed comfort or some time alone. When Sonic picked the latter, the wolf was kind enough to fulfill his request as he called the Commander. Fast forward to now, Sonic remained hopeless.

 _"Why did I have to hurt him? Why can't I just save him and end this once and for all?"_ he scorned in his mind.

An awkward silence filled the dark atmosphere, even though it was mostly quiet in Metropolis already. The only sounds were heard were the Resistance's shuttles fleeing the city to track Eggman. Savage fiddled with his glasses, figuring out what to say without taking the conversation into a train wreck.

"Eggman is such a fucking maniac," Savage grumbled. "I can't believe he set all of this up. We all thought shutting down the Death Egg would negate the Phantom Ruby from activating, and we were proven wrong. To think, he actually learned from his mistakes and found a way to nearly kill us again." He paused to stare at Sonic, whose eyes were glued to his shoes. "I'm very sorry, Sonic. Ou of all the times I've said that, I think this one hurts the most. But I mean it from the bottom of my heart."

Sonic took in Savage's words and silently appreciated his support. Nonetheless, he couldn't find the words to forgive himself. Not until he rescues Tails.

Ten minutes later, the main members of the Resistance finally found their comrades. After landing on the rooftop, Amy and Raff were the first two out of the shuttle with Knuckles close by. They immediately stopped when they saw Sonic's shattered expression.

"Oh, Sonic," Amy held her hands in front of her mouth. She shook her head, crestfallen to see him like this. "This wasn't supposed to happen. And... I'm so sorry."

A humorless chuckle escaped Sonic's mouth. "Heh... Yeah... I've heard that before."

With the others wondering what he was talking about, Savage waved it off. "Forget about it."

"Sonic, is there anything we can do to help?" Raff came up to him.

He thought very carefully before giving a straightforward response. "Besides defeating Eggman, nothing."

"Sonic," Knuckles interjected, "I don't want to be that kind of person, but we have to get going. Eggman's already fled Metropolis, and just recently, we've gotten word that he's heading up to his Empire Fortress north of here. Going at full speed, it's going to take approximately two hours to get there; maybe less if we're lucky. But that means we'll only have about an hour before doomsday. We don't want to waste time mourning like we did when you were gone. At least we had the willpower to fight back. Now we need you to do the same. You've never given up this easily. Why back down now when there's still a chance to finish this war?"

Sonic slowly gazed at the echidna whose face was rock hard serious. He wasn't glaring because of how he depressed he was. He was only determined...

Determined to protect the planet from falling in Eggman's hands once more...

Determined to not lose faith when they've come so far...

Determined to get Tails back...

Sonic fathomed his point and sluggishly stood up. He rubbed his eyes to clear the wetness. He breathed in deeply before opening his eyes, mirroring Knuckles' stare.

He was right. There was no time to mourn. There was no time to think that they were going to automatically lose. It was too early to assume that Tails would forever be Eggman's evil assistant. It's possible to take back his home and friend, so long as they can overcome the odds and outsmart their malign opponent.

Punching a fist in his hand, a new spark of fortitude lit his entire face. "Let's do this."

Feeling relieved, Knuckles, Amy, Raff, and Savage strolled with Sonic to the shuttle. As soon as they boarded the aircraft, they flew north of Metropolis posthaste in pursuit of the upcoming final battle.

* * *

 _Location: Eggman Empire Fortress_

The time was 6:00 a.m. Dawn has risen in Mobius with the sun's rays barely shining through the dark, stormy clouds on the horizon. Everyone was exhausted. Sleep deprivation was taking its toll on the crew.

Yet they weren't going to stop here.

They arrived at the mountains with the rest of the squadron. Including the hundreds that reclaimed the zones, the Revengeful Resistance was still as strong. Now, all of the units were ready for the moment they've been waiting after six damned months.

"We're getting closer to the end, but it's starting to look like the end of us. Despite everything that we've done, we can't afford to surrender! We have to break into Eggman's fortress this instant!" Shadow urged with a fist in the air. It garnered a ton of cheers in the crowd.

"With this being our last opportunity to bring peace to Mobius, we won't wave the white flag! No truces, and no mercy!" grunted Silver.

"We can't let anything distract us from here. It's either do or die for us, and we can only pray that it's the former," Espio cracked his fingers.

"Well, this is it. No turning back now," Blaze exhaled.

"Nearly 90% of Mobius is at peace from Eggman's legion. The ultimate defeat of said doctor is our last and sole objective to restore everything! We shall vanquish the threat who instigated this war!" boomed Omega.

"Lastly, if anyone else falls victim, please don't mourn or blame anyone for the losses. This isn't the end just yet. We can do this! Give it everything you all got!" ordered Knuckles.

"YEAH!" the majority of the Revengeful Resistance yelled.

With the Commander at the front of the pack, everyone escalated the range and hiked towards the Imperial Tower peeking behind the mountains. After a grueling climb, the Resistance descended the other side and came across a large, empty field. The only sources of life within the vicinity happened to shock the members.

Various life forms began to materialize on the other side of the barren land. Sonic noticed the return of Zavok, likely another clone created by Infinite. What also staggered him were five familiar faces he faced over a year ago.

Zazz, a purple, energetic (and psychopathic) creature. Zomom, an obese monster who was willing to eat anything, even people. Zik, a wise elder whose calm manner and reflexes masked his elderly presence. Zeena, a walking definition of a self-enthused, yet basic bitch... with sharp, filed nails and _too_ much makeup. Zor, a depressive individual who preferred hiding in the shadows unless he's forced to engage. With the five of them standing next to Zavok, the Deadly Six were back. **_(2)_** They may not be real, but they're astoundingly a force when they're all together.

More familiar copies emerged onto the battlefield. Chaos, Shadow, and Metal Sonic were the most notable. But some new names took the gang by surprise.

A bulkier form of Metal stood beside the robot. Colored in ultramarine blue with dark orange eyes stood Mecha Sonic. Next to him was a chrome-skinned duplicate. It was none other than Silver Sonic. **_(3)_**

As if things couldn't be more petrifying, the next set of duplicates made the entire team shudder.

Flying from above, his tails slowly spun until his feet reached the ground. He stood up straight with a blaster in his hand.

A roboticized Tails blankly glared at the Resistance. Another person dropped next to him before he stood as well. It was another duplicate of Raff, similar to the one Savage fought in Null Space. Then, the number grew. And the faces made them sick to their stomachs.

One by one, they were seeing double. Clones of Knuckles, Amy, Silver, Blaze, Vector, Espio, Charmy, Rouge, Omega, and Savage surfaced from the ground. For some reason, Sonic was the only one who didn't have a copy of himself. Pushing that aside, a militia of jackals surrounded the main bosses. They scattered across the field and prepared for initiation. Within the distance, they saw Infinite floating above the army. Not only that, the true Metal Sonic joined them.

How did they know he was the real deal? His body didn't have red glitches like the fake nemeses below.

Knuckles clenched his teeth and his fists. Containing his anger, he turned to see his best friends nearby with the pack of soldiers in the background. To his left stood Raff, Savage, Amy, Vector, Shadow, and Espio in that order. Glancing to his right, he saw Rouge at the end with Silver, Sonic, and Charmy buzzing behind. He was focused on Sonic most of all. As they caught each other staring at one another, he realized his friend had the same energy as him.

"For Tails and the world," the leader murmured.

"For Tails and the world!" Sonic reiterated with emphasis. He was supported by many cheers.

Knuckles inhaled deeply before shifting his head towards the crowd of fakes. Everyone else crouched in position, primed to storm forward.

"On my mark..."

Infinite laid a hand over his mask, waiting for the right moment.

"Get set..."

The clones remained in their spots, eager to attack.

"CHARGE!" exclaimed the Commander.

"SHOW NO MERCY!" the ruthless jackal ordered.

Both parties ran towards the other. It was pure chaos from thereon.

The first confrontation was a fight between Knuckles and Metal Sonic who flew ahead of the duplicates. They each exchanged hard fists at one another, punching each other in any spots they found. Knuckles felt a hard hit against his chest, but he remained valiant and delivered a sharp uppercut to his chin, sending him back several feet. After Metal shook it off, he charged his circuits and fired a laser from the depression in his chest. Knuckles dodged the energy burst as it landed near his friends. Thankfully for them, no one got hit.

Metal soared forward to aim at Knuckles again, but he was halted by Vector, Charmy, and Espio. Each of them shared fierce punches on the forehead to daze the Sonic doppelganger. At the same time, clones of themselves surrounded the group as a distraction. It proved to be ineffective as the heroes got rid of them with some well-timed hits and successful dodges.

"Whew! We took care of those dorks!" Charmy felt accomplished.

"Look! He's getting back up!" Vector pointed at Metal who was recovering from his injuries.

"Espio! Let's knock him while he's still down!" insisted Knuckles.

"You got it!"

The duo each landed a spin dash into the speedy mech. It was a shame for said foe who took more blows to the face. However, his body remained operative. He wasn't going down that easily.

While Knuckles and the Chaotix were taking care of Metal Sonic, Team Dark focused on fleeing forward to wipe out the clones in a quick motion. Shadow rocketed with his Air Shoes as he faced half the members of the Deadly Six, which included Zik, Zomom, and Zavok. The black hedgehog protected his companions when Master Zik used telekinesis to create large bunches of fruit and attempted to squash them. Zomom coughed up a three-foot-long sandwich and used it as a makeshift sword, ludicrously swinging it around in hopes of knocking someone out. Zavok took a direct initiative, going for a mighty punch against Shadow. The stocky beast barely got a piece of him, but the hedgehog held his ground.

"Chaos Control!"

He managed to freeze the Zeti and whipped out energy blasts. Moments later, Shadow became victorious, but he knew better not to celebrate at a time like this. He shifted to his right to strike a pair of jackals, kicking one of them into the other.

Rouge flew ahead and divebombed on many unsuspecting replicas of Shadow and Omega. She had enough drama with fake Shadows; plus, having Omega in the mix didn't make it better. Nevertheless, she was aware that they weren't her real allies, so she didn't back down nor care about their losses. Omega was also unforgiving in the fighting spree. He enjoyed being merciless like the time he tried to explode Eggman's base before Infinite took him down. The bulky mech fired his lasers and activated his machine guns at a cluster of fakers. A large radius blew up no less than thirty of them.

"Keep it up, Omega!" Rouge smirked.

"Payback is inevitable! Targets will fall to the calamity known as our revenge!" he remarked with confidence.

As for the other half of the Deadly Six, Zeena began swaying some spiky balls of metal that were chained to her wrists. Zazz rode on his yellow Moon Mech as its mouth spewed out stars. Zor took control of his dark powers to duplicate himself, similar to Infinite's ability to regenerate the other evil clones. Zeena was able to puncture a few soldiers with her weapons. A few more got hurt by Zazz's stars. Zor also caught some soldiers off guard when he pounded the ground to create a shock wave.

The Zeti were soon ambushed by Silver and Blaze. They managed to keep them at bay with their powers while Cole, Collar, Spot, and several soldiers fired their guns. Rinse and repeat was the key as they waited out their turns to eliminate the glitches. When a couple of imitations of them appeared, the white-furred hedgehog and the purple feline felt a little nauseous the moment after they were vanquished.

"Now's not the time to lament, guys!" Collar shouted.

"He's right!" Spot concurred. "Come on! There are more enemies to obliterate!"

Blaze and Silver glanced at each other before regaining their attention on the main subject.

Sonic, Amy, and the wolves went berserk when they came across a team of copies in Silver Sonic, Mecha Sonic, and Metal Sonic. All of the mechanical robots flew straight into them. Sonic sidestepped in time to evade Mecha and started a combination of homing attacks, drilling his quills against the tough armor. He went back and forth on the other foes. While they were dazed, Amy lunged forward to whack Silver Sonic with her Piko Piko Hammer. Savage fired his Burst Wispon to burn Metal Sonic into a cloud of red glitches. Raff delivered a potent kick to Mecha Sonic's chest, slamming him into the remains of Silver Sonic before both of them vanished.

It wasn't over for them, however, because the clones of Raff and Tails approached them furiously. They launched two lasers from their arm cannons. Sonic was quick to avoid the attacks. Amy deflected one of the shots with her mallet, slamming it back at the Raff clone. While the fake wolf took the hit, he fired at Savage. The orange rookie couldn't block the laser in time and was struck in the chest. Scared for his brother, Raff pulled him up and gave him a quick suggestion.

"Spin dash?"

"Hell yeah!" Savage agreed with a smirk.

The wolves performed a simultaneous spin dash on the Tails double and immediately veered towards the glitchy wolf. As both faded to black, they watched Sonic and Amy team up to knock out a quartet of reckless jackals. Two of them had some sharp knives as weapons, but the hedgehogs were unscathed as they simmered the situation.

"Sonic! Get up there and try to talk Tails out of this!" shouted Amy.

The cobalt hero nodded and left his friends to handle the army. He went as fast as his heartbeat, thumping profusely in his chest. He wasn't going to mope or grieve this time. He was adamant to complete his primary objective.

He made his way up to Infinite and skidded across the dirt.

"Alright, buddy. I've had enough of this game. I need you to listen to me. You're not Infinite. You are not this ferocious monster who kills innocents for pleasure. And you certainly are not meant to be Eggman's slave. So please, Tails! Stop this right now!"

Infinite did not elicit a response as he maintained his glower.

"Come on, buddy! Don't you miss me, your best friend?! Your big brother, of all things?!"

"Actually, yes... I do miss you. I've been waiting for this whole time to see you again."

Sonic looked hopeful.

"And I've been fervid to finish your life!"

His hopeful expression instantly fell flat.

"I'll make your death slow and painful. As for your other friends, I'll make it quick and simple. I won't let them suffer as much as you."

"Tails, no!"

The jackal unleashed a powerful surge of red energy from the ruby. The wave knocked Sonic back several feet, sending him to the ground. The rest of the main squad caught up to him, shocked to see him down in a flash.

"Sonic! Are you alright?!" queried Knuckles.

"Yeah... I'm fine..." he struggled to get up.

"You won't be once I'm finished with all of you worthless chumps." Infinite did the same move again to cause the entire gang to fly backwards. "All you have to do is capitulate. That way, I know you're set to face oblivion."

"Never!" most of the heroes declared.

"Foolish... I guess it's time- Huh? What?"

Infinite was interrupted by some streaks of liquid. To the Resistance's surprise, a claw wrapped against the mercenary's torso. The mysterious figure came into view, elating the protagonists.

Knuckles grinned with an open mouth. "No way! It's Chaos!" **_(4)_**

"Incredible! What perfect timing for him to appear!" Amy clasped her hands excitedly.

"Go get him, dude!" Vector pumped his fist while the others applauded.

Internally, Sonic was grateful the Big Drip was here during another crisis of the war. Although he wondered why it took him this long for him to show up, he had faith in the God of Destruction. The only thing he hoped was that Chaos won't hurt Tails a whole lot, even if it means to subdue his negative influence.

It was a difficult match between the two. While Chaos was holding Infinite in his grip, the jackal forced the water creature with the Phantom Ruby. Chaos extended his limbs to reach out again. However, Infinite was quick to evade it and soared above. He nosedived straight at the god and delivered a kick across his legs, tripping the large beast. Followed by a rough spin dash, Chaos retaliated by spurting out water from his head. Infinite growled as he stepped away from him. Once he was dazed, Chaos collapsed into a puddle and scurried across the surface before emerging into a water block. He trapped the jackal within and signaled to the heroes to belabor him.

"Come on! He's imprisoned already! If no one's going to attack, then I'll gladly volunteer!" Shadow huffed.

"Just make sure he doesn't drown before you get the chance!" said Silver.

Raff gulped as he saw Shadow approach Infinite. Unfortunately for the black hedgehog, Infinite broke out of Chaos' grasp yet again. The water god was given an orb of energy that immobilized him.

"Chaos! No!" Knuckles, Blaze, and Silver quickly checked up on him.

"Did you truly believe this aquatic monstrosity was going to take me down? Pfft! Think again, Resistance fools! It's time for the real deal. No more fooling around. I will crush and burn all of you worthless animals to ashes with the rest of the planet! To hell with you and all your pathetic friends!"

 _"Tails..."_ Sonic thought despondently.

A second was all it took for Infinite to release a large, yellow glow from the Phantom Ruby. Unlike the counterfeits he designed, this was far more deadly. The beam of light ascended to the cloudy sky before encompassing the entire atmosphere. At that time, the clones stopped their actions to allow the Resistance to witness Infinite's latest creation. After an enormous vibration shook the land, an enormous, lethal sun shone high above the Empire Fortress, sending chills down the heroes' spines.

"What... What is this?" Spot stammered.

"Are we dreaming? I swear, that looks too real. But it's a Virtual Reality projection, right?" Collar was dumbfounded.

"I'm afraid not," Rouge shook her head. "This definitely doesn't look fake to me."

"You've got to be kidding me. There's no way! This has gotta be fake!" Knuckles refused to believe. "It's just a special effect, right? ...Right?! Raff, back me up here!"

"I wish I could, Commander. But..." he swallowed the lump in his throat as tears began to fill his eyes. "This is more than just an illusion created from the Phantom Ruby. We're still under its control because of the backup energy that was stored from Metropolis. And this... This massive, killer sun is concrete. It's a part of _reality_ , not _Virtual Reality_..."

Savage, standing in the posterior part of the crowd, felt something strange. With everyone else in front of him, no one realized what was going on or what he discovered.

"This is not only ridiculous, but it's completely unbelievable!" Espio grimaced. "We don't have a chance to survive this!"

"So now what? All our hard work to get to this point, all that time spent to recover the zones, ended up for naught?" Charmy whimpered.

"I don't want to point out the obvious, but damn it, I would say so," muttered Shadow.

"HOHOHOHO!" Eggman came flying into view to witness the Resistance's reactions. Sonic scowled at the madman. "Oh, boo-hoo... Are you upset that you'll have no other option but to perish? Well, I've got something to share with you. Too bad, so sad. The sun will fall upon you in a matter of minutes! Once it does, BOOM! THE END! And I'm going to savor this moment when I see every single one of you burn alive!"

The Blue Blur let out a shaky exhale as he shifted his eyes back at Infinite. To think, he was so close to getting him back. He could taste victory within his reach. He had his eyes on saving the planet with his friends after all hell went loose.

But in the end, he was going to fail.

He was going to fail at avenging his best buddy.

He was going to fall at the hands of him and Eggman.

He, his friends, and the rest of the Revengeful Resistance were about to die.

Only three words ran through his brain.

 _"Tails... I'm sorry."_

As the sun started to glow in an intimidating shade of orange, Savage took a moment to stare at the ground before shifting up to the sun. The look on his face was either one full of regret, bravery, initiative, or a combination of all three traits. Ignoring to properly address his intentions, he departed his friends and made his way towards a specific location. The rookie didn't leave unnoticed, however.

"Savage!" Raff called out to him as the others watched him chase after his brother. "Wait up! Where are you going?!"

The answer to that question was the Imperial Tower.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I managed to write the first half of this on Monday. After getting settled yesterday, I did my best to finish the rest. I ended up completing the chapter at two in the morning, for heaven's sake. I waited until the early morning to proofread and edit it out though. Thus, here is the result of Ch. 33._

 _It isn't over until it's over. As of now, Sonic and the gang have made it to this point to fight off Infinite's clones and confront the possessed Tails. Unluckily for them, Infinite has made things drastic with the deadly sun he beckoned. What does this mean for the Resistance? And why did Savage suddenly abandon his team?_

 _Keep your eyes out for Ch. 34 when we focus on the Wolf brothers. They'll both play a vital role to prevent the end of the world from occurring. The problem is, what will they have to do? And can they accomplish their task in time before the calamity?_

 _Leave a follow and a favorite if you're enjoying this story so far! Please review down below to let me know what you think or if I need to fix any errors. Until then, I'll see you in the next one of Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _An alternative name for this chapter could be 'Infinity War', and it would make too much sense since it sort of relates to Infinite's name. But I'm sticking with 'Endgame' for now (unless people prefer the other title). If that's the case, credit goes to my friend, The Sensational SpiderDom321, for coming up with that._

 ** _(_** ** _2_** ** _):_** _Even though they're a bunch of phonies, I have included the other members of the Deadly Six from Sonic Lost World._

 ** _(3):_** _Silver Sonic and Mecha Sonic are two variants of robots Eggman constructed. Mecha was first found in the Death Egg Zone of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, but the version I'm describing is the one from Sonic & Knuckles. Silver Sonic is only found in the 8-bit version of Sonic 2._

 ** _(4):_** _Making his real debut in the fanfic is none other than Chaos who first appeared in Sonic Adventure. We've seen forged copies of the God of Destruction before, but I'm allowing the actual Chaos to appear in place of Omega for this cutscene. Additionally, I've included an actual melee between Chaos and Tails (in a way)._


	34. Ch 34: Savage, Raff, and the Sun

_A/N: I don't have much to say besides giving my sincerest thanks to s7371997, Oderus, Dayman, Golden Eye, Alexandria Prime, Tiger of Darkness, The Sensational SpiderDom321, and Infinite's Ruby for your reviews in the last chapter. Along with the other positive comments I've received since I published this fanfic, they keep me motivated and thriving to write more (only when I'm not busy at my job)._

 _Just to let you know, the start of this chapter intertwines with the end of the previous one. Plus, there's only one section of third-person dialogue. Like in Ch. 32, I'll signal when the perspectives change. Back to Revengeful Resistance!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog at all._

* * *

 **Chapter 34:** Savage, Raff, and the Sun

 _~Savage's POV_

Two words, one phrase. It was the only thing I could muster in my head to describe what I'm thinking right now. What am I talking about? It's quite simple.

 _"Oh, shit."_

Outside of the mechanical factories of this region, we had another run-in with Sonic's possessed brother. We've come so far to defy the odds, overcome Eggman's legion, and taste victory within our grasps.

Everything was set in our favor... until Infinite unveiled something that probably burned my eyesight.

Sonic, Raff, my other friends, the entire Resistance, and I stared up at the explosion in the sky. A colossal sun severely gleamed in front of everyone. This wasn't like the normal sun that rises up in the morning and falls during the evening. This was a monstrosity that had the intensity to slaughter all of us.

Before this happened, if you were to ask me if I was going to die by the sun out of all things, I would've scoffed and responded, 'You're fucking crazy.'

But now, here we are, standing in this barren wasteland of the mountains while on the brink of extinction yet again. I just never imagined we would be in this kind of predicament.

Who's the crazy one now? Probably me. And I guess Eggman could arguably be on the list, too.

"What... What is this?"

"Are we dreaming? I swear, that looks too real. But it's a Virtual Reality projection, right?"

"I'm afraid not. This definitely doesn't look fake to me."

"You've got to be kidding me. There's no way! This has gotta be fake! It's just a special effect, right? ...Right?! Raff, back me up here!"

I stared down at my brother who stood a foot to my left. "I wish I could, Commander. But..." Raff stopped talking for a few seconds. The nervous look on his face was the same as mine. "This is more than just an illusion created from the Phantom Ruby. We're still under its control because of the backup energy that was stored from Metropolis. And this... This massive, killer sun is concrete. It's a part of _reality_ , not _Virtual Reality_..."

Seconds after Raff explained the current situation, I felt a strange sensation. It wasn't the Burst Wispon equipped in my hand. I felt it from within my fur. I pulled something out with my free hand, and my eyes gaped at the object.

The Phantom Ruby prototype.

Holy crap. I totally forgot that I kept this. I even remember when I picked this up. It was on the night when Knuckles, Rouge, Omega, and I searched for the signals Collar discovered in the Mystic Jungle. When we reached the laboratory, that was when I found the ruby. I eventually got myself sidetracked after the brawl against the illusionary jackals along with the discovery that Tails was Infinite. The fact that I held onto it this entire time without realizing it until now was somewhat baffling. Now that I held the glowing ruby in my hand, it made me wonder why it was reacting this way.

A few more remarks from Espio, Charmy, and Shadow were spoken before our main nemesis flew down with his Egg Mobile. He removed the glass dome over his head to gloat in front of us.

The arrogant bastard.

"HOHOHOHO! Oh, boo-hoo... Are you upset that you'll have no other option but to perish? Well, I've got something to share with you. Too bad, so sad. The sun will fall upon you in a matter of minutes! Once it does, BOOM! THE END! And I'm going to savor this moment when I see every single one of you burn alive!"

Although I wasn't directly with Amy and Raff when they eavesdropped on Eggman and Infinite, the latter duo did converse about the prototypes earlier. I was trying to recall what I heard when the communicator was on speaker.

...

 _"You do know that they were only defective models, right? They can only record the DNA of the one who triggered it."_

 _"Of course I know that. I found the original Phantom Ruby and tested upon myself to understand its true potential. During my experiments, I found out that I can use it for control. That's where I had you as my test subject to see if my initial thoughts were correct. And I was right!"_

 _"Still, only a being with my strength of will could ever activate the prototypes, even if they aren't the real thing._

...

I shuddered at Eggman's statement. To this day, I couldn't believe how he managed to use the Phantom Ruby to manipulate Tails' mind. That's just sick.

Then, my mind defaulted back to what Tails mentioned. The rubies can capture the DNA of the one who triggered the power source. Eggman was the one who tapped into the original ruby's energy, but he gave it to Tails so that it would transform him into the mercenary who was floating above us. Since then, he was capable of creating clones of ourselves and Sonic's past enemies – alongside several unspeakable things that I don't want to divulge into at this point.

Wait... Where am I going with this? Oh, right. _Control_.

If Infinite can control the ruby in his chest, can anyone else use it? Well, that's kind of hard to answer because we don't have a clue on how to get it out of his body. However, Infinite said he was strong enough to not only activate the real ruby, but the prototypes as well.

The catch was this. _This_ prototype was reacting in the palm of _my_ hand. Testing something on my own, I dropped the ruby on the ground. As soon as it left my grip, the ruby's glow dispelled. I was a bit surprised how Infinite and the others didn't notice my experiment. After picking it up, the glow returned. I gazed at the sun, blocking my glasses with my hand so I don't blind myself even more.

Maybe... Just maybe... Could I use the prototype to make the sun disappear?

Now if you were to ask me if _this_ was crazier than dying to the sun, I would agree wholeheartedly.

But this isn't the time to debate on that. I'm certain that we have no choice. Actually, _I_ have no choice. If I'm the one who activated this ruby, then I might have to take this thing down by myself.

I checked the area to find something tall enough to reach the sun at a respectable distance. The tallest building here was the Central Tower. (And yes, Eggman has a Central Tower in both Metropolis and this fortress). However, it was way too far from where I stood. The closest thing I could find was the Imperial Tower. From there, my goal was set. In a flash, I ran away from my friends and the other soldiers.

But my little sibling caught everyone's attention.

"Savage!" Raff screamed at me. "Wait up! Where are you going?!"

I ignored his question. Instead, I only looked back once, yelling at the Commander. "Knuckles! You and the others take care of the clones for now! Don't let your guard down!"

Although I was far away to barely see his face, I could tell the echidna understood my demand, despite the fact he was mystified.

"Come on, everyone! You heard what he said! Let's finish off these damn fakers!" **_(1)_**

"Try as you might," Eggman taunted. "It'll be more satisfying to watch the show from up here before you all pathetically die under my supremacy!"

"Doctor, don't count your chickens before they hatch," Orbot appeared from within the Egg Mobile.

Cubot also popped his head out on Eggman's right. "He's right, boss! You already know how ticked Sonic and the others are! They already know that Tails is your powerful minion!"

"Shut up, you despicable dunces!" Eggman slammed their heads together, causing them to groan. He brought back the glass dome as his shield as he waited for the inevitable. "I'll enjoy your demise in a matter of minutes. My plan will come to fruition, and I'll finally rule the world without you pitiful creatures!"

Eggman's got a lot of guts but no heart for his evil ruse. As for me, I had plans to thwart it.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Raff's POV_

Excuse me for the language that I'm about to spill out of my mouth, but what the hell is my big brother doing?!

I desperately ran as fast as I could to catch up to him. He was at least a thousand miles ahead of me. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating, but you get my point.

"Savage, slow down!" I pleaded.

To my relief, he slowed down and paused to face me. As soon as I got to him though, he grimaced. "Why are you following me?! Go help the others!"

"Why are you going off on your own?! And without telling me or the others?"

"I did say something! I told Knuckles to fight against the clones! You should be there, too!"

"That's not what I meant! I'm asking you on why you took off unexpectedly! What are your true intentions?"

To summarize, Savage looked a little exasperated. I despise starting another unfriendly conversation with him. (You already know what transpired the last time.) But this was different, and I demand an honest answer.

"You want to know why I ran off?" he queried calmly, to which I nodded. "Okay. This is why." He pulled out the Phantom Ruby prototype.

"Oh my god," I blinked, eyeing the jewel. "I... I completely forgot you kept that this whole time. Can I see it for a second?"

Savage held it out before he wavered for a second. Eventually, he gave it to me in a reluctant manner. I scrutinized the prototype in my hand as the glow vanished within my clutch.

"Raff, are you thinking about what I'm thinking?" my brother questioned.

I stared up at him. "That depends. Let me hear what you have to say first."

Savage took a second to compose himself. "A few days ago, we learned that Eggman constructed several copies of the original Phantom Ruby to test out its powers. One of those things he experimented was mind control, to which he used against Tails to turn into Infinite. Although they assumed the prototypes were abolished afterward, I found this one in the Mystic Jungle. Then, I showed it to everyone in the headquarters. Although we tried to figure out how this prototype was vital in the first place, I've kept it the entire time as we focused more on the war...

"However, when Infinite made the sun appear in the sky, I felt something strange. Turns out that it was the prototype reacting to the sun's energy. You may have said that it was a thing in actual reality, but it was still created from the Phantom Ruby. If you recall their private conversation in Green Hill, they specifically mentioned that the rubies can be activated by anyone who triggers a response!"

Long story short, I began to understand everything Savage elucidated. The puzzle pieces began to connect with each other. I handed the ruby back to him.

"And I presume that the prototype can somehow counteract with the negative energy?"

"That's what I thought," Savage mumbled, glimpsing at the magenta icosahedron. "I know this is a very insane belief, but I wonder... I wonder if I could trigger the prototype to neutralize the sun. In order to do that, I need to get up close to it. The nearest building that's high enough is the Imperial Tower."

"When you say it like that, then yes... It does sound insane..."

"Thanks, bro..." he rolled his eyes.

"I'm not finished yet. Although it's outrageous, it might be our only shot to save the world before it plummets into Mobius and burns us all."

" _Our_ only shot? Oh, no," he held up a finger in denial. "There's no way I'm letting you get near the sun, Raff."

He's gone into protective mode again. I had to convince him otherwise. "Savage, I'm going with you."

"No, you're _not_ ," he emphasized.

"Savage..."

"I mean it!

"Savage, I don't want to lose you!"

"News flash, Raff! I feel the same way! But I'm more worried about your life than mine! After you were taken by those Egg Pawns in Red Gate, I was unconfident that I was going to find you. You may have returned safely, both well and alive, but I was frightened since the very beginning! The last thing I wanted was to find out that you were dead. If I were to lose you again, but to a fatal degree, I will never forgive myself. I won't be able to live or function with guilt drowning my life! Our parents would be disappointed that I would fail you as your older brother!"

Pardon me again, but that's complete bullcrap. Savage has never failed me once. Sure, we had some verbal arguments on occasion. Yet, I can't believe he would say something like that.

As for me, here was something I never thought I would do to him in a million years.

I smacked him across his face.

"OW! Raff! What the fuck?!"

"Just be lucky that was only a smack."

"What does that supposed to mean?! And why did you even hit me?!"

"Savage, you've been apprehensive about me this entire time ever since Leia and Phoenix were kidnapped by Eggman." This was one of the rare moments I've ever referred to my mom and dad by their actual names.

"So?"

"Have you ever thought about how _I_ feel about you?"

My brother opened his mouth, but he quickly closed it. "Keep talking," he urged.

"Savage, when I pushed you over that chasm, I had a feeling you would blame yourself for my abduction. But the reason why I did that was that I wanted to save you. While I had to live the last half-year in captivity, I never spent a single day without feeling concerned about your safety and well-being. When I finally came home, I reunited with you, my big bro, who's faster, stronger, and braver than who he was before I got nabbed...

"Looking back to the old days, I understand why you've been so overprotective. Although it can be quite annoying, I know that it's because you care about me, too. I respect you for what you've done to help us get through the tough times, with and without our parents. But I know for sure that they will never be disappointed in you," I stabbed my finger against his chest. "They're probably looking down at you at this moment, feeling proud that you've become a hero. Except for me, you've _always_ been my hero."

Savage blinked once as he remained quiet to hear the rest of my spiel.

"I believed in you since the day I was born and when we became siblings. You can take that as a cliché or some cheesy statement, but it's true. I want to stick with you until the end. I don't want to lose you, and vice versa. For that reason, I want to join you in this quest. We'll take this ruby to the sun and hope we can nullify it to save our friends and the Resistance. In the end, we either survive this Chaos-forsaken war, or we die together with some kind of effort put in. Neither one of us should have to deal with the pain of losing each other. And even if death could take our lives in minutes, I'd be happy to die knowing that we tried our hardest with Sonic, Knuckles, and all our new friends."

I could only hope my words provoked him to change his mind about leaving me. That was when he kneeled down so we were at the same eye level. He removed his glasses and gave me a solemn stare. Soon after, he pulled me into a hug, and I let my arms wrap around his back. We stood still for several seconds. Although this wasn't the time to dawdle, it was at least a comforting moment to assuage the stress in our systems.

When he released me, he returned the same stare from before. After putting his glasses back on, he gave me a nod. "Okay, Raff. I'll let you join me."

My face beamed, and so did his. Now that he was on board, we both made a run together towards the Imperial Tower.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 _~Savage's POV_

As I escalated the mountains and headed towards the factory, wild thoughts continued to roam my mind. I let my little brother come with me in a scenario where he could potentially die. As if being taken to the Death Egg wasn't much of a death statement. Regardless, he made some fair points as much as I detested to admit it. Dying together probably led to less heartbreak than if one of us loses their life while the other survives.

I can't imagine what the others might be thinking since they're occupied against Infinite and the clones. They all probably think I'm a freaking psycho for this idea.

To double-check, I contacted Knuckles on my communicator. From the background noises, I could tell he was in the middle of a brawl.

"Urgh! I can't believe we made it this far only to lose!" the Commander grunted.

"It may be world-shattering, but this isn't the end just yet!" Espio shouted while keeping Metal Sonic at bay. "Keep your heads in the game! We have to fend these bad guys off!"

"I wonder what the Wolf brothers are doing at this point," Vector growled as the sound of metal clunked against the ground.

"Knuckles, can you get ahold of them and find out where they are?!" Sonic stipulated.

"You know we're right here," I said aloud to the network.

"Savage! There you are! Well, technically we don't know where you and Raff went. So that brings the question; where are you?!"

"We're on our way to the top of the Imperial Tower," I reciprocated as I carried Raff up a tall ledge with my grappling hook. While we landed on a few blocks, we hopped over the electrical currents on the metal floor.

"Why are you even heading there?"

"For one reason: to neutralize the sun."

"What?!" Knuckles paused as he landed a punch against Metal Sonic. "Are you crazy, Savage?!"

"That's the exact same thought I had. But I'm going with it!"

"Savage, even I don't agree to this!" Sonic tried to convince me otherwise.

"Same here!" added Amy.

"Guys, listen!" Raff told them. "This is our last hope to survive the cataclysm! We can't afford to waste time arguing about this! Savage and I are heading up there no matter the cost or how dangerous it is."

"No matter the cost?" Rouge reiterated. "You don't mean you're going to sacrifice your lives, are you?!"

"That notion is more insane!" Silver protested.

"Savage, Raff, are you sure this is a good idea?" Blaze had her doubts.

What Raff did several minutes ago allowed me to realize that I needed to put my faith into him. Now, I needed to gain our friends' trust to let us handle this perilous task and give them a reason to not lose hope.

"Let me put it in these terms. Would you all have a chance to live and win this war, or do you want to give up easily like you all felt just a few days ago before we saved Sonic? If you bother to choose the latter, then I don't know why you decided to make it this far! We are not backing down from this!"

The constant battle cries and sounds rang through the speaker as the Revengeful Resistance continued to hold off the illusionary army. Meanwhile, we continued to head up the factory and destroyed the robots guarding the pathway. Knuckles had a chance to breathe and reply to my comment.

"You guys are planning to do something that could burn you into a crisp. I honestly don't think it's safe for you to move on, and I would naturally order you to fall back. However..."

"However?" Raff and I repeated.

"...you guys are right. You are our last hope."

"Knuckles, you can't be serious!" Shadow huffed as he walloped a pair of jackals.

"I am. There's nothing we can do besides fight! If we were to join them, we would be too late to reach where they are! And if they don't make it in time, we're all going to be scorched!"

"So, does that mean..." Charmy trailed off.

"Savage, Raff, we're all counting on you," said Knuckles.

"You got it, Commander," we both responded.

My brother and I resumed our trek. Fleeing over the platforms, jumping up walls, swinging over the enemies... This uphill climb was arduous, but we showed no signs of stopping.

Several electric orbs sluggishly flowed around the platforms. One accidental slip-up could turn us into electrocuted meat. Without being hasty, we vaulted across the hazards before running into another set of Badniks. While Raff handled the Moto Bugs with his spin dash, I fired my Wispon to incinerate the Egg Pawns. From thereon, we had to perform successive wall jumps to ascend. Thankfully, neither Raff nor I didn't fall, or else we would've been in serious trouble.

We made our way to a bumper that helped us glide toward the tower. But along the way, a blue death ray activated behind us from the security system. It began to move along the path.

"Hurry, Savage! Who knows if that thing could dispatch us before the sun could?!"

Instantly, we sprinted around the building while avoiding the electric obstacles and robots. I felt like I was desperately running away from a wall of spikes trying to puncture me. We couldn't let this thing catch up to us! Not only did we have to be cautious in this area, but we also had to be quick so we don't kill ourselves.

"Savage! How are you and Raff holding up?" queried Sonic.

"We're getting there! Just had a few near-death experiences though!" Raff slightly panicked. "Aah!"

"What's wrong?!"

"Are you guys okay?!" Knuckles asked.

"If you consider getting nearly zapped by a laser is okay, then sure! Let's go with that! Ow!" A random Egg Pawn came out of nowhere and managed to shoot a laser at me. It proceeded to swing its metal arm at my face. Not only that, but the sharp edge managed to cut my left cheek. Scowling, I burned the son of a bitch in retaliation. Raff was able to pull me to another set of walls while the death ray came closer to us.

"Please hang in there a bit longer!" begged Amy. "We're still holding our ground against Infinite's clones!"

"You can make it, Wolf brothers! Show everyone why you deserve to be soldiers!" Vector cheered.

"We're running as fast as we can!" cried Raff as he nearly tripped over a box. I grabbed him with my hook to get him back on his feet. "Thanks, bro!"

"Don't thank me yet! We need to reach the sun! Up ahead! To that bumper!"

"Gotcha!"

This was going to be a close call as the death ray was getting closer to us. I don't even think the rings we collected made us faster. It was rather a safety net to keep us alive from obstacles and other stuff thrown in our way. But we were almost there.

"Savage! Raff! The clones stopped fighting us! I think it's because they're making us wait for the end of the world!" warned Knuckles.

By the time he delivered the message, we barely evaded the death ray and landed at the peak of the Imperial Tower. The sun's glare was a lot more intense from up close, but that wasn't much of a surprise. With the Phantom Ruby prototype in my hand and Raff standing by my side, we glanced at each other. Uncertainty was written on our faces. But like Raff mentioned, we either survive or die trying.

"Ready, bro?"

"More than ever."

"If we don't make it out alive, just know that I love you."

"I've always known that, big bro. And I love you, too."

We shared a long embrace before standing straight up to face the sun. I held out my right hand with the ruby, and Raff clasped it. I nodded at him; he returned the gesture. The two of us darted towards the edge of the tower and leaped high into the sky. The bright yellow light eventually consumed us whole.

 _~End of POV_

* * *

 **(***)**

...

"HAHAHAHA!" Eggman mockingly chortled. "It's finally time to end this! Your stupid, little Resistance can't do anything to stop me or the sun from falling! Those pesky wolves who ran away probably did the right thing because they figured they were going to lose."

"They didn't run away because they were scared, Eggman!" Sonic scowled. "They'll find a way to make the sun disappear!"

"Oh, Sonic..." the doctor shook his head. "There's no need to be in denial. You can say goodbye to those worthless soldiers because they're about to perish like the rest of you. Infinite, do you have any last words to your _buddies_?"

Infinite hovered in the air as he glowered at Sonic and the others. The heroes were silent as they wondered what he was going to say. Most of them, if not all of them, were concerned if Tails' soul had some restraint over the Phantom Ruby. Of course, the Blue Blur was more vexed than anyone else.

The sun started to glow brighter than before. The ruby in his chest also reacted with a magenta aura.

"Eggman had kept you imprisoned for six months just to construct his empire. The rest of you were bold enough to get him out of the Death Egg pretty easily. Thus, the downfall began. He failed to maintain his reign as supreme."

"Hey! What are you insinuating?!" Eggman snapped.

Sonic's eyes blinked, and his head tilted a bit to the left.

"All of you managed to defeat his robots and my clones. Frankly, it was quite effortless. But even though you have now taken back most of the planet, that doesn't mean much since your endeavors will become futile. Your lives will soon be over in just mere seconds, so I suggest you make peace with your fate as you'll turn into ash."

Eggman snickered as the ends of his mustache rose. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

"Savage..." Knuckles lowered his head, feeling downhearted that the rookies were probably too late.

"Raff..." Amy's sentiments were mirrored.

"Tails..." Sonic faltered as he couldn't keep his eyes off the jackal.

"Ooh... It's almost seven o'clock! You know what this means?!" Eggman clapped his hands giddily like a child being excited over an ice cream cone. "Time for the countdown!"

Cubot laid a hand on Orbot's shoulder. "Hey... I guess it was nice knowing you."

"You do realize we're being protected by the glass dome, right?"

"Oh, right."

"Mwahahaha! And now the sun will finish you off in three, two, one..."

A sobering wave of silence roved the entirety of the Empire Fortress. Extra seconds have elapsed, yet it felt like time had stopped as everyone awaited the fallout. The Resistance gaped at the sun, feeling hopeless. However... nothing transpired.

"What's going on?! Why isn't the sun falling?!"

His question was soon answered when the entire thing completely disappeared. All that remained was the sea of dark gray clouds. The sudden occurrence made the fat scientist cross.

"WHAT?! WHY DID IT GO AWAY?!"

"No way... It's gone. It's actually gone. Savage and Raff did it! They got rid of the sun! They saved us!" Sonic shouted with a fist pump. "Take that, Eggman!"

Loud cheers reverberated the mountainside as all the base units and their leaders celebrated with each other, exchanging high-fives, jumping for joy, and dancing around as they remained alive. Even Shadow smirked at the sight. Chaos and Omega skimmed each other's faces, feeling grateful about the new situation. Charmy, Espio, Vector, Rouge, Silver, Blaze, and Amy were euphoric. Knuckles exhaled a shaky puff of air, internally appreciating the rookies for doing their job.

 _"You've done well, boys. Now I can only hope you can make it back safely,"_ he prayed.

Eggman removed the glass shield. "GRAAGH! INFINITE, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

The mercenary shifted his glare to him. "Take a chill pill, doctor. I didn't do anything."

"I don't believe you..." he muttered.

Then, Eggman spotted a red, glowing particle descending from the sky and towards the apex of the Imperial Tower. Clenching his teeth and slamming his fists on the control panel, he departed the Resistance to inspect the anomaly. Orbot and Cubot gripped the cushion of his seat as he flew rapidly.

"Infinite! Follow me this instant!"

The jackal didn't hesitate for a second as he floated behind the doctor.

Sonic was about to chase after him before he paused and turned back to see Knuckles. The Commander gave him a nod. No words were needed as he understood. The hedgehog thanked him quietly with a head bob of his own. He sprinted past the army of clones, his eyes glued to Infinite's travel path.

"Alright, everyone," Knuckles gathered the Resistance's attention. "While Sonic is going after Eggman and Infinite, we have some business to take care of. The wolves did their part to save us, so now we can turn the tide! These clones aren't going to vanish on their own just because the sun is gone. Get ready, Revengeful Resistance! Let's get in there and kick some major ass!"

Another eruption of hurrahs filled the air of the bleak environment. But with this newfound boost of encouragement, the place sounded like it was full of life.

* * *

(***)

...

 _~Raff's POV_

Most of my eyesight was blinding, but I could barely see the grappling hook from my brother's wrist extend to a nearby railing. His other arm wrapped around me, holding me on for dear life. We glided toward the metal roof of the turret. Exhausted, we both fell down.

That wasn't the worst thing that hurt us.

Ow... I flinched. My body was tingling. No, _burning_. Several spots ached more than others. Then again, that's what third-degree burns do. The sun really got to us. For me, I felt a sore spot on my left leg. I could've reached down to grab it if my right arm didn't burn as well. Unfortunately, I noticed two separate burnt spots on my red fur; one on the forearm, and one around the biceps. Although everything felt excruciating, I used all the willpower I had to push myself off the floor.

Crud. These burns are severe. I think I need to call Knuckles to send the medic team.

A few feet away, Savage laid there. I shook his body, hoping that he didn't suffer worse than I did.

"Savage? Are you there?"

"Ugh... Ngh..."

I was a bit relieved to hear him. It may be a groan, but it was better than nothing.

"R-Raff?"

"Yeah... Don't worry. I'm here."

Savage sighed. "We did it."

"We sure did," I gave a small grin. Sadly, the smile wiped away from my face when I saw that he sustained more patches of burnt fur on his body. A few blisters were present on his back, arms, and legs. I also noticed the laceration bleeding on his cheek.

"Savage... You're-"

"I know. That's not the most important thing we should worry about."

"Yeah, you're right. Still, we should at least get some medical assistance. Give me a second." I began contacting the red echidna. "Commander?"

"Raff! Thank Chaos you're alive! How are you? And where's Savage?"

"I'm okay, thanks."

"And so am I," my brother wheezed.

"Knuckles, can you please get Greg, Delilah, and the other medics to the Imperial Tower? We have an emergency."

"Of course. I'll tell them right away!"

"Thanks," I ended the call as I turned to Savage. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah... I'm just beat."

"Understandable. Hey, what happened to the prototype?"

"You mean this?" Savage opened his right hand to unveil the jewel. However, as soon as he did that, the ruby fell out and shattered on the floor. Surprisingly, it was broken from such a minor impact. Nevertheless, it was gone, just like the sun. "Um... whoops."

I chuckled. "At least we used the prototype for good."

"YOU WHAT?!"

We both jumped at the frightening screech from Dr. Eggman who flew up to us. Infinite also came with him while Orbot and Cubot were situated in the Egg Mobile. Savage barely managed to turn around and lay on his back and elbows.

"You had a Phantom Ruby prototype?! That's absurd!"

"It is absurd; but it's quite the omission, eh, Doctor Robotnik? Or should I say, you cold-blooded murderer?"

You'd think that Savage would be the one to make a remark like that. But he didn't.

It was me.

...Did I really just say that? I couldn't believe it. Even Savage was shocked at my diction.

"Ah, forget you! Infinite, you told me that every single one of those copies was eradicated! How did these amateurs get their hands on one of them?!"

Based on his body language, Infinite was at a loss for words. He sincerely looked lost. "I... I was almost certain that all of them were destroyed."

"So you were _almost_ certain? You went ahead and lied to me, didn't you?"

"I didn't lie, Eggman. I-"

"Zip your masked lid! Once again, your incompetence never fails to disappoint me and my expectations of you. I should've known that you were this worthless."

Harsh. I can't imagine how the real Tails is feeling.

"Consider this as your last chance. I want you to lure Sonic to the Central Tower and battle him one last time. If you succeed, I'll let you off the hook. If you fail, then I hope Sonic exterminates you before I slay him!"

"Shit," I slapped a hand over my mouth. The one time a swear word slips away from me... I was afraid Savage was both stunned and bemused. And he was considering I can see him glimpsing at me from the corner of my eyes.

"Do you understand my command, _Tails_?"

Infinite's lonely eye closed as he let out a deep sigh. He then responded, "I do."

"Then leave."

Infinite stayed for a few seconds but eventually took off. Dr. Eggman rotated his vehicle to face us. His face was boiling red. I've never seen him this irate before.

"Doctor, do you need your blood pressure medicine?" Orbot held an orange vial with a few white tablets inside.

"I got some water to help you swallow them," Cubot raised a bottle.

"Set it aside for now. My top hasn't fully blown yet."

"Are you sure about that?" Savage tested him, even though I told him to shush.

Thankfully, Eggman was too occupied that he didn't hear my brother's retort. Regardless, he gave us a threat.

"You goddamn wolves are on the chopping block for now, but you're lucky that neither one of you is my lifelong nemesis. He is the one that I'm targeting, and I won't walk away from this war until that rodent is dead. Until then, stay away from me!"

The egg-shaped villain rocketed to the east towards the Central Tower. The second after he was nowhere near us, I immediately called Sonic.

"Raff," Savage interrupted as I dialed the button, "is there something that you know that no one else does, including me?"

I had to tell the truth. Lying was not the optimal tactic here. "Yes, there's been something I've kept secret to myself prior to Operation Sudden Death Egg."

"And what's that?"

I sighed and told my brother about what I discovered from the secret files I hacked from the Chemical Plant. Once I shared this information, Savage was speechless.

"You're not kidding, are you?"

A silent shake of the head was the only answer he needed.

"Raff, you have to explain this to Sonic."

"Which is why I'm calling him now." My heart started racing as I waited to hear from him.

"Hello?"

"H-Hey, Sonic. It's me, Raff."

"Oh, there you are! I saw everything from down there! You and Savage made the sun disappear! Awesome work, you two!"

"We appreciate it, but there's something I need to say."

"Okay. But you gotta make it quick. I'm on my way to save Tails."

"Actually, there's something about him that I need to explain."

"What do you mean?"

"U-Um..." I began stuttering.

"Go on, Raff," Savage calmly told me.

"Sonic, you might want to stop running and stand still for a minute."

"Uh, I don't think I can do that, dude."

"Sonic, please? I need to have a serious discussion with you."

I heard his sneakers skid against the floor. Once he stopped, he questioned, "So, what's up? What is it about Tails that you need to talk to me?"

"It's about him and the Phantom Ruby in his chest."

"Okay... And?"

"W-Well, there's only one way to properly dispose of it from existence."

"Really? Then tell me! I'll get to it right away and save my little buddy!"

"That's the problem, Sonic."

"What?"

From the tone of his confused voice, I had the urge to throw up. I couldn't see Sonic's face unless I had a Miles Electric in my hands. But I assumed he was on edge as we were quiet for nearly half a minute. It made me sick to my stomach. Eventually, he mumbled...

"...Raff, what's wrong?"

A shaky exhale escaped my lips. "I memorized this information from Eggman's files. It's about the destruction of the ruby. The thing is, I've hidden it from you on purpose because I didn't know how you were going to react."

Sonic didn't spit out anything. He must be more clueless than any other emotion running through his mind.

There was only one that I was experiencing at the moment: remorse.

"Please understand, Sonic!" I quickly added. "I was afraid that if I told you this earlier, it might've distracted you from the war."

"Just tell me what's the issue," he wanted me to get to the point.

I looked at Savage who gave me a nod of encouragement. I let out another sigh. This was not going to be pretty.

"When the Phantom Ruby's powers legitimately start to decay, the ruby is susceptible to any sort of physical contact. A punch, a kick, a spin dash, anything that would create some kind of major blow can easily ruin it for good. Several hits should guarantee its destruction. And since we destroyed the Death Egg, took over Metropolis, and counteracted the sun, the Phantom Ruby should be much weaker. It's come to a point where Infinite is more vulnerable than before." A long pause followed after, making me more nervous than I should be. "But there's another thing associated to it. If the Phantom Ruby is destroyed, whoever is physically linked to the original power source has a high probability to cease with the gem itself."

I gulped, anxiously waiting for his reaction.

...

...

...

"...No."

Savage blinked before we each glanced at each other. "No?" he restated.

"No... I'm not doing that! There's no _fucking_ way I'm doing that!"

Boom goes the dynamite.

This was the kind of response I expected. I genuinely couldn't blame him at all.

"I'm sorry, Sonic. But we don't have another choice. Either everyone falls to Eggman and Infinite, or we take a risk."

"Yeah... And that _risk_ happens to be killing Tails!"

We may have survived another close shave, but there was always going to be some other roadblock that gets in the way. Man, life can be so unfair. For Sonic, he has two options to deal with, even though he disapproves of the latter.

 _"Either all of us die, or one of us does."_

In case you still don't know what I'm talking about, let me translate it for you. Either we all die with Infinite and Eggman on the loose, or Sonic must defeat Tails. The consequences are pretty standard for the first choice. As for the other option, if he does decide to fight Tails again and destroy the Phantom Ruby, there is a very slim chance that the fox will persist from the attack.

There was no win-win situation in this stage of the war.

I would loathe to be in Sonic's shoes right now.

 _~End of POV_

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _For the conclusion of this chapter, I wasn't sure if I wanted to include Raff's revelation at first. But after talking to SpiderDom321 and Infinite's Ruby, two of my best friends on the site, about their input, they both thought it would be reasonable to include it here rather than the start of the next chapter. Therefore, this is where we are right now. I want to thank both of them for their feedback._

 _As for the rest of you, what's your take on the news? Let me know down in the review box below! Click the Follow/Favorite button so you won't miss a notification on new chapters! (So close to 50 followers, too!) Thanks for all the support and for helping this story accumulate over **26,000 hits**!_

 _Next time on Revengeful Resistance, can Savage and Raff recover from their sunburns? Will Sonic have the heart to hurt his best friend again? Will Tails fall victim to the Phantom Ruby's destruction? And does Eggman have another surprise up his sleeves? Thanks for reading as always, and I'll see you in the next one! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Another flaw I did not like from Forces was the continuity of the cutscenes. I don't understand why the Avatar is all alone in a different region of the Empire Fortress, far away from Sonic and the others. Then after the sun appears, it cuts to Tails flying to the Avatar even though the former was with the Resistance (again, hardly doing anything)._


	35. Ch 35: When Frenemies Clash

_A/N: To the Guest who's been leaving me 'kind' reviews anonymously, I've got a message for you. There is a reason why this is called **Fanfiction**. I don't need anyone calling me 'stupid' just because I'm basing this rewrite off a debunked theory. Comments like that are a waste of both my and your time._

 _And guess what? I don't care, AND I'm not finishing the story on this chapter. I don't need your 'forgiveness' if you're going to keep harassing me. It makes you look like an idiot. If you have a problem, here's a great idea:_

 _DON'T READ IT. (*THE MORE YOU KNOW*)_

 _There are other Sonic Forces rewrites out there, and they don't follow the 'stupid theory' compared to mine. Go read those instead._

 _On the other hand, Revengeful Resistance has legitimately surpassed the review count of my first story, Hidden Bravery. I am grateful to **only** those who left something meaningful or encouraging. I appreciate positive feedback and constructive criticism, not flames or verbal attacks from an illiterate tool who repeats the same shit over and over._

 _Sorry about my rant. Let's return to the story, shall we?_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: This is my rewrite on Sonic Forces. Sonic the Hedgehog and the other main characters belong to Sega. End of note._

* * *

 **Chapter 35:** When Frenemies Clash

Sonic felt nerves slithering down his spine. He felt like his bones were going to turn into spaghetti and slip right onto the floor. It took him a few seconds to comprehend the words that came from Raff's end on the communicator. To say the least, the cobalt hedgehog, longing to defeat his nemesis and rescue his brother, was at a loss.

If the Phantom Ruby was to be destroyed, it could kill Tails as a major result.

"...No," Sonic muttered.

A few seconds elapsed before Savage repeated, "No?"

"No... I'm not doing that! There's no _fucking_ way I'm doing that!"

"I'm sorry, Sonic," Raff apologized. "But we don't have another choice. Either everyone falls to Eggman and Infinite, or we take a risk."

"Yeah... And that _risk_ happens to be killing Tails!"

Neither of the wolves replied after his outburst. They gave him a minute to let himself cool down. Of course, Raff and Savage understood how Sonic can be exasperated on specific occasions. In this case, it wasn't because Eggman was being a jerk or developing a new, bothersome, over-the-top plan for domination. It wasn't because of his friends holding him back from doing what he impulsively wants.

It was due to the possibility that everything he had done might be all for naught.

There was no way of knowing who could take the fall at this point of the war. Every standing member of the Revengeful Resistance could suffer the same fate as the thousands who passed away.

However, Tails was also on that list.

He may be forced to face his friends, but he was still at the risk of potentially dying. Only in a different way.

This was why Sonic was at a crossroads.

 _"Do I save the world even if it means killing my buddy? Or do I let him stay alive yet have Eggman retake control? ARGH! Why does it have to be like this?!"_

Sonic huffed several shaky breaths, failing to recompose himself. The fate of Mobius and his home came down to what was best for humanity or for himself.

Does he fight for the people? Or for his selfish desires?

If the roles were reversed, the hedgehog couldn't fathom how Tails could handle the situation of facing him in a possessed state. Tails had always been loyal, kind, and determined to help Sonic. More importantly, he was altruistic.

But hypothetically speaking, if Eggman were to capture Sonic – and go beyond keeping him hostage for six months – to transform him into a ruthless jackal, it would leave Tails to play the role as the hero to save the world... at the cost of hurting (and killing) his best friend.

The exact predicament he was currently in.

Sonic wondered; would Tails be willing to inflict him for the sole purpose of ending this war? The kitsune never had an intention to harm him after all he's done for him. Albeit, Tails wasn't an idiot; he'd rather not have Eggman reign supreme over Mobius. Ethically speaking, the fox might do _anything_ in his power to make sure the doctor ruling the world was the last thing to happen. The only drawback was that Tails might never live it down if he were to slay Sonic in the process.

Either way, it was like stabbing a knife at someone's heart. Death was knocking on the door to take either one life or millions of innocent ones. Sonic was stuck at a fork in the road, unsure of which path to take.

It felt like an eternity, but he finally came to a decision.

After sighing, he heard Raff speak. "Sonic? I don't blame you if you're mad. I'm very sorry for breaking this to you, but-"

"I'm going," he interrupted.

"Wait. What?" Raff didn't hear him clearly.

"I'm going to fight Tails."

The Wolf brothers stared at one another before Savage spoke up. "Uh, Sonic? Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"I don't have any better choices, do I? Listen, I'm going to destroy the Phantom Ruby now that it's weaker. If my buddy gets killed in the end, I'll never forgive myself. But if it means to overthrow that fat yolk-head, I'll at least put Tails out of his misery. He deserves anything other than being his slave."

"Well, Sonic," Raff scratched the back of his neck, "if you're determined, we won't stop you."

"I'm gonna head off now. And again, good job on getting rid of the sun."

"Sonic," Savage interjected before the call ended. "Please, be careful out there. And good luck."

"Thanks. I'm gonna need it."

As Sonic tapped the button on his communicator, his eyes were planted at the Central Tower. He barely caught a glimpse of Infinite's magenta aura heading there. His next destination was set.

"I'm coming for you, buddy," he whispered before going into a full sprint. _"For the greater good, I have to face him. This is my only chance to get rid of the Phantom Ruby."_

* * *

 _Location: Mortar Canyon_

Near the heart of Eggman's fortress, metallic canyons were adjacent to the large crater of the barren wasteland. The downhill slope was linked to different paths, leading to the tall towers in the region. Similarly, bridges and platforms stood on their own over the humongous gorge. Sonic had to make sure he didn't lose his footing.

"Sonic!" Knuckles got in touch with him. "I've sent some shuttles to your location for backup. They'll try to shoot down the security system in this place to make your run a lot safer."

"Got it! Meanwhile, I'll handle these Egg Pawns. They're just as useless as the others!"

Several laser pointers from the cliffside detected Sonic's movements. They began firing at him, to which he barely evaded.

"Whoa!"

The beams zipped past his quills and blasted the edge of the canyon wall, crumbling the jagged façade with rocks and debris falling into the abyss. Another laser was directly shot at him, but he spin dashed forward. He careened the Badniks over the railings as they plummeted to their demises. The delayed sound of metal crashing onto the ground echoed throughout the crater, making Sonic slightly shudder.

"So glad that wasn't me. Yikes!" he panicked when another beam narrowly missed him.

Sonic didn't waste time standing as he dove to the platforms below. He made his descent easier by homing in on the myriad of Buzz Bombers and Nebulas. Although it was a long drop, Sonic managed to land safely onto a spiraling grind rail. He glided further down the canyon until he approached another army of Egg Walkers fleeing down the metallic road. While Sonic continued to avoid more lasers from the security system, the Resistance's shuttles appeared at the right time. They sent energy beams to obliterate the bird-like enemies, exploding into a fiery mess as their necks and beaks were disassembled. Sonic sidestepped to avoid the remnants of the Egg Walkers, but he nearly got his shoes burnt from a laser that landed inches from him.

"Knuckles! Guide the soldiers to aim for the laser pointers! I'm getting too many close calls that I'm gonna end up as a Thanksgiving dinner plate!"

"I don't understand your analogy, but sure, I'll tell them. Just keep going!"

While one half of the ships focused on clearing the pathway for Sonic, the remainder followed the Commander's orders and destroyed the diodes. The trail led to some more metal platforms without any barriers or walls. The ravine below contained a cross pattern of lasers.

"Eggman couldn't be any more generic with the pitfalls. It's like he really wants me to fall down so I can burn alive! Well, I'd like to burn a mental image in his mind, and it's my foot kicking his ass!"

Along the way, a few shuttles have been hit by Eggman's forces, forcing them to fall back and attempt a safe landing. The soldiers inside were doing their best not to panic and have informed Knuckles about their issues. The rest of the aerial team kept firing at the obstacles below. Sonic nearly got pecked by an Egg Walker, but he struck back with a spin attack. He continued running down as the bridge fell deeper towards the crater. He attacked another army of Nebulas to maintain his momentum across the gaps.

"Chaos, how many Egg Walkers have to fill this road?! It's like someone purposely spawned a bunch of enemies in a customizable troll level!" **_(1)_**

Sonic curled into a ball and boosted his way through the massive group of Egg Walkers and Pawns, knocking them down like bowling pins. He finally advanced through the army until he reached the end of the road that led to the Central Tower. By the time he reached the edge, he saw Infinite hovering in midair, his back facing him.

Sonic's heart pounded. "Tails!"

He didn't move at first, but the black jackal flinched when he heard that name again. His body was trembling. Eventually, the mercenary sluggishly shifted around so his mask was visible. Except, from Sonic's vantage point, Infinite was so far away that he didn't realize that he wasn't wearing his mask from the back. As soon as he directly faced the Blue Blur...

Gasp.

"No..." Sonic's eyes enlarged.

Shock and anxiety roamed in his blood. He couldn't believe what he saw.

"No..." he repeated, shaking his head.

From there, he caught sight of the face that had been hidden beneath the mask. Tails' face. When Shadow depicted it from his memory, the ebony hedgehog specified how his right eye was horrid. That explained why the mask had concealed it in the first place.

People have said that time heals all wounds. However, it had been over half a year since the transformation, and the marks that Eggman left on the poor fox haven't recovered at all.

The dried gash on Tails' eye had stitches, leaving scars around the closed lid. Internally, Sonic hated needles, so the fact that it was sewed up made him nearly gag. Additionally, more scars and marks were visible across his face. One of the most notable wounds was a large, purple bruise on the side of his lip. Dried blood splotches blemished his gray muzzle (which used to be white before he turned into Infinite). His neck jittered frantically even though he wasn't wearing his shock collar.

To think, throughout this war, Tails went from Eggman's prisoner to a cold-blooded murderer through the negative powers of a simple gem. But now, he appeared much more vulnerable and tense unlike any of his previous encounters. Despite this, he scowled at the hedgehog.

"Tails..." Sonic croaked. "What did he do to you?!" He was very irate with Eggman, no question. But his concern for his brother's presence eclipsed his fury.

"I... I-I told you," he stuttered, his physique palpitating. "My name isn't T-Tails. I'm Infinite!"

Sonic shook his head. "No, Tails, you're not. I'm trying to make this easier for the two of us! Abandon Eggman and come back on our side to fight him! We'll whip him into scrambled eggs!"

"Useless. You c-continue to beg me to j-join your alliance, but it's been clear from the get-go that I'm not part of your team. I-I work... for Eggman only."

"But he's been torturing you-"

Infinite stopped huffing as rage boiled in his head. "Enough with the torture talk! I don't care about that anymore! All that matters is for my leader to take over this damn planet!"

"Tails, I won't allow it."

"You impudent, little hedgehog." Sonic wasn't stung by his words, but it hurt to hear him say things like that. He knew the Phantom Ruby was still messing with his system. "You and your pathetic friends-"

"They're _your_ friends, too, Tails," Sonic interjected.

"Quiet, you! They've done so much to keep their lives at bay, and everything seemed bleak until they rescued you from the Death Egg. With your help, you somehow managed to take back the majority of Mobius. You've also managed to outduel me."

Sonic didn't need to be reminded of his Null Space experience.

"This is where I stop congratulating you. Everything that you've all done will be for nothing. Even without the sun or with the Phantom Ruby weakened, I'm still living. That means I've got enough power and energy to smash your guts into blue jelly."

"Sorry, buddy, but I'm not interested in being a filling for a fast food sea burger." **_(2)_**

"This is what I hate about you: your stupid, irksome gibes. I don't need to hear your backtalk if it gives you a sense of pride. It doesn't do justice to make you a noble hero."

"Tails, you know you like my one-liners. Don't deny that."

The jackal maintained his unnerving glare.

"Okay, kinda freaking me out there, kid. But listen, the jokes I say are only to poke some fun. I'm not always serious, yet I don't mean it in a harmful way. And sure, I can be brash with many of my decisions, but I always try to make things right. Having to work for Eggman or letting him be the ruler of the world is a big 'no' from me. I never give up that easily. That's why I always fight him to keep Mobius prosperous. I used to battle him one-on-one, but then I made friends who have supported me in my adventures. That includes you, Tails."

Infinite crossed his arms. "I'm growing tired of your assertions. If you deem me as your best friend, then fine."

Sonic blinked. "Really?" he wondered with optimism.

"Sure. That makes us frenemies, and I can't wait to squeeze you into pulp."

All that newfound hope vanished.

"What? You said you didn't want to be blue jelly."

Sonic lowered his head, closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. He was already regretting this moment.

 _"I have to do this to you, Tails. I'm very sorry..."_ he thought silently.

He charged forward at the jackal and hit him in the face. Infinite snarled as he and Sonic fell down to a lower road. He held his head while shaking off the pain. The hedgehog landed with a hand in front of his feet, lifting his chin up to face his bewitched partner. As Infinite floated back in the air, red cubes and glitches spawned across his figure.

"Not a bad move, I must frankly say. But your gravestone is telling me a question. It's asking, 'What do you want written on your epitaph?' I've got a suggestion; how about, 'Here lies the Blue Buffoon'? It's a fitting nickname for someone like you."

Sonic began chasing him as he responded, "I don't think 'Buffoon' matches my style. I'm considered to be a 'Blur', thank you very much."

"I'm certain you have a witty remark for myself, don't you? You'll probably say something like, 'Here dozes the Masked Clown'? That's pretty much been my role since this war initiated."

Sonic was upset that Tails would say that. Even if the Phantom Ruby was dismally influencing him, it was uncomfortable to hear such a thing.

"Tails, I'm not going to kill you! ( _Intentionally, at least..._ ) I'm only here to stop this madness and destroy the ruby! It's tearing up your mind!"

The jackal didn't listen as he summoned trails of red cubes as obstacles for Sonic to dodge through. Unfortunately, he just felt a small portion of the cubes tickle the tip of his ear. He was immediately taken into an illusion.

* * *

Even from the slightest touch, Sonic groaned from the sting. When he opened his eyes, he saw the sky was blood red. He then spotted Knuckles and Amy in the city. They were fighting off Badniks while three Death Egg Robots surrounded the town. The echidna kept throwing punches at the robots but fell forward onto his front when a sentinel fired a laser behind him. It left a large fire as several buildings crumbled down onto the broken concrete. While the red-furred Commander struggled to push up with his hands, a large piece of metal managed to plummet directly onto him.

"Knuckles!" Sonic extended a hand.

He then heard Amy grunting to his left. She paid no attention to Knuckles' calamitous fate as she had her own matters to handle. Slamming her Piko Piko Hammer on the Egg Pawns and Motobugs, she did her best to defend herself. Another laser fired at her. She cried as she felt it scrape her leg, causing her to kneel down. Sonic was tempted to run over and help, but it was too late. An Egg Pawn grabbed Amy from behind and tightened its grip over her neck.

"Amy, no!"

She suffocated moments later, and her limp body dropped to the ground.

* * *

The red background eventually converted into a white flash as Sonic regained his vision. He breathed unevenly as he took in the illusory sights. Grumbling, he found himself back on the road to the Central Tower. Infinite was twenty feet away, taunting him with a hand gesture that read, 'Come here.'

Sonic sprinted with his hands stretched out to his sides. He knew he had to get in close contact with his friend just like the fight in Null Space. No matter what, every hit he deals to Tails will make his stomach drop, like descending down a steep hill on a roller coaster.

Ten Moto Bugs spun around Infinite's body as he released some red orbs at the hedgehog. Sonic jumped to his left and slid to the right as he evaded the pattern. Some of the Moto Bugs dropped to the ground and glided right at him. Sonic took the opportunity to hop off one of them and carry forward to the remaining bugs. After annihilating the spinning shield, Sonic held a deep breath and aimed a homing attack in the center of Infinite's body. The Phantom Ruby reacted to the impact as it glowed brighter than before.

"Hrrgh! You think rupturing the ruby will work? I don't think so!" Infinite protracted a hand to send another trail of red glitches at Sonic.

His reflexes were fast enough to avoid the first set, but he accidentally slipped against the floor, courtesy of an oil spill from a Moto Bug. Nearly losing his balance, he went straight into another illusion.

* * *

In the new mirage, Sonic found himself near a broken section of Red Gate Bridge. Across the gap, he noticed the Chaotix struggling against a legion of jackals. The enemies carried knives as their weapons, and they left some deep cuts on Charmy, Vector, and Espio. Sonic wanted to help, but the chasm was too wide for him to jump across without any enemies to spin dash.

"Guys, look out!"

His verbal message hardly helped them as the jackals brought them closer to the edge. The Chaotix tried everything they could to survive, but they kept receiving more slashes. Before Sonic could even attempt to jump as a last-second rescue, they were trapped. The jackals grinned as they pushed them off the bridge and into the river below. Charmy, who had a broken wing, was unable to save Vector or Espio. All three splashed into the water, and Sonic couldn't find them from high above.

"Vector! Espio! Charmy!"

Sonic looked up at the jackals who drove his friends off the bridge. However, they all disappeared. He was confused at first, but he soon became startled when he felt a finger tap his shoulder. When he turned around, he was shocked to see the pack of jackals, sneering at him. A fake Infinite was also there as his body was glitching. Before Sonic could get a word in edgewise, or even scream, the clone punched him in the stomach, forcing him to fall into the river as well.

* * *

Sonic awoke with a jolt. His feet were numb because the illusion stopped him in his tracks again. Shaking off the discomfort, he stretched his arms and legs like usual and restarted his run.

Infinite transported ahead of him to spew out more illusionary orbs. He also created a sea of cubes that approached Sonic from behind. The blue hero eluded the orbs, hopping off the runway and moving forward against the side of the nearby wall. As he reached its end, he jumped off and landed another spin dash on Infinite. But the jackal blocked his chest. Sonic ended up drilling his head, and his quills pierced the stitched eye. Drops of blood spurted from the lacerations. Once Sonic realized a second too late, he reprimanded himself for making it worse. He had to keep running, however, since the cubes were following him.

"Ready for another nightmare?" Infinite looked daggers at him.

"Tails, stop this instant!" Sonic pleaded.

The hedgehog was frustrated that he didn't listen. Infinite remained hellbent on taking him down. He teleported away and mustered a blockade of cubes. Sonic tried to jump over the fake wall, but his shoe barely nudged the top. Yet again, he fell into another loop of Virtual Reality.

* * *

He'd already seen Knuckles, Amy, and the Chaotix. Sonic couldn't bear to see more illusions of his friends in trouble. Even worse, dying. It may be fake, but he couldn't stand the thought.

More of his teammates were right in front of him. In a rundown area of Red Gate, Chaos, Silver, and Blaze were keeping Mobians at bay but were soon annihilated from a blast of red energy. To his right, Sonic saw Omega, Shadow, and Rouge charge at a group of Badniks. Nevertheless, they suffered the same fate. The source was a fake Infinite who sneered down at the Blue Blur.

"Surrender now, and I'll make the nightmares end."

"Never! This is Virtual Reality, so I know you're not real! None of this is real! You're just showing my friends dying, but I'm not going to let that distract me!"

"You're vigilant. At least that's one thing you're good at."

The Infinite clone snapped his fingers and trapped Sonic in a rope of red cubes, restraining his arms and legs. He then spawned a flood of glitches towards him. Sonic started to hop away, but his shoe hit a pothole. He face planted onto the concrete, his eyes widening as the cubes were about to consume him.

"NO!"

* * *

The new voice interrupted Sonic's perception as he woke up to what was happening in front of him. To his surprise, he saw Raff crash into Infinite with a spin jump. Not only that, Savage was on his tail, successively shooting the Phantom Ruby with his Burst Wispon. Cracks started to form on the icosahedron, enraging Infinite.

"You tenacious, conniving wolves! How dare you interrupt this moment?!" he blasted some orbs at them but missed.

"Do you really want to kill Sonic, your big brother? If I were you, I wouldn't lay a claw on him unless I'm itching for a brawl!" Savage countered.

"Do not play games with me, fool. You shouldn't have become a member of the Resistance. After seeing you cower in fear on that broken road, I expected you either perished or hid like a wimp."

"That's because I needed to change! I wasn't going to fall back or let the world bring me down! I needed to overcome my doubts and weaknesses to make a difference! That's why I trained and joined your friends to take down Eggman!"

"How many times do I have to make my damn message clear? That blue rodent and all the other weaklings down there _aren't_ my friends!"

"Yes, they are!" Raff tried to reason. "Tails, I may be a year older than you, but I've gone through a lot to know what it's like to be in your shoes – as a hero and a friend! We're here to support Sonic and work together to tear this empire apart! Don't you get it? Eggman is the adversary here, not us! You have to fight this negative influence that the ruby has on you! Otherwise, we're going to abolish it!"

"Fine! You want a piece of me? Then run as fast as you can! I'm not the Gingerbread Man, but I will outclass you three easily until you tire out! Then I'll fucking obliterate you with the rest of your friends!" the jackal yapped before he zoomed away.

Sonic, who was lying on the ground after his third stint of Virtual Reality, was pulled up by the Wolf brothers. He dusted off his stomach before turning to his allies.

"What are you guys doing here? I thought the medical team was supposed to heal you."

"They already did. Well, they at least gave us some antibiotics, but we had a bad feeling that you were in trouble," explained Raff.

"In fact, we saw you from the top of the Imperial Tower. We asked the medics to bring the shuttle down close to you. That's when we stepped in," Savage finished.

"Wow. You guys are valiant despite what happened to you not too long ago. I appreciate the help," Sonic weakly smirked.

"You sure you're alright, Sonic?"

"Don't worry, buddy. I'm okay. But we gotta jet. The faster we get to the ruby, the better."

"I'll be right beside you, man!"

"Me, too!" Raff pumped his fist.

Sonic gave a nod as the three boosted their way to the Central Tower. Infinite was hovering at a fast pace, but the heroes were inching closer.

"What?! How did you catch up?!"

"Sonic's the name, and speed's my game! And I'm even stronger with some assistance by my side!" the hedgehog yelled.

"Grr! Your little pals are nothing but a fleeting illusion! You hardly count on anyone but yourself, you egocentric rat!"

"I may like the attention, but I don't want to hog all the glory. My friends have rescued me, and I wouldn't be here without them! All I want now is to have you back, Tails!"

"And defeat Eggman!" Savage added.

"And save the world, too!" declared Raff.

"There's no matter for that nonsense. The Phantom Ruby has been recharged since my escape. I'm going to enjoy watching you rot instantly like disgusting tomatoes."

Savage retaliated before Infinite could prepare the glitch storm. His grappling hook managed to grip the edge of the ruby and created a large crack on the face. The teenage rookie swung over to kick his torso, damaging it even more. Raff was next as he hurdled in the air towards his brother. While Savage's momentum pulled him back from the kick, he was able to reach out and grab Raff's hands. He threw him over to Infinite, and the young wolf delivered a spin dash to the gut.

Infinite howled at the throbbing pain and showed signs of fatigue. The mercenary planned to use the Moto Bugs as a defensive shield again, but Sonic beat him to the punch; he marred the ruby while simultaneously pricked another part of his face, to which he was chagrined.

As Infinite struggled to maintain composure, Savage, Raff, and Sonic leaped over lasers that were spinning from beneath the floor. They did get hit a few times from some timely missed jumps, but the trio picked up their speed to keep their distance away from the cube wave behind them.

Everyone hurried through an open tunnel in the center of the tower before exiting out into the open land. Infinite charged up his Phantom Ruby to perform a V. Maximum Overdrive Attack. He slammed his body and hands right into Savage first. Raff cried out, but he also endured a hard punch. Sonic was the only fortunate one as he evaded the technique, but he was livid that the wolves got hurt.

Sonic reluctantly lunged at the mind-controlled fox and bashed him in the chest repeatedly. Infinite was truly at his weakest now.

"What is... going on? Why am I... feeling... dizzy? Unconscious?" he breathed heavily.

"Guys, we're getting close!" Raff screamed as he recovered. Albeit, the bandages that were applied to him were gone. The same went for Savage.

"I'll get rid of those bugs with my Wispon! After that, we should go for a boost!"

"Well, since it's the three of us, it's not gonna be a double boost; it'll be a triple boost!" Sonic mentioned.

"That should be enough for a finishing blow!" said Raff. "We can only hope our speed and power will officially ruin the Phantom Ruby!"

Sonic waited for the right time as Savage went forward to burn the Moto Bugs. The number decreased to zero as Infinite was both vulnerable and exhausted. That was when the hedgehog and the wolves congregated together and slapped their hands in the middle. Sonic led the trio as their bodies spun rapidly towards Infinite who tried to desperately flee.

"TAILS!"

Sonic, Savage, and Raff collided into the jackal, demolishing the ruby from his chest. Infinite bounced, grunting every time his body hit the road. Small energy orbs were emitted from the remaining parts. By then, the ruby was completely shattered. Cubes and glitches started to spawn all over the jackal's figure. The gang immediately skidded to a halt and retreated to where Infinite laid. Sonic desperately looked down at the fallen mercenary, praying for a miracle that his brother would return to normal.

"This... can't be..." his hands tightened against the cold metal. "IT CAN'T! I can... still... fight! I will NOT... SURRENDER!"

"C'mon, buddy... Please..." he quietly implored.

The cubes soon covered Infinite's entire form. A bunch of dark clouds surrounded him for several seconds. Savage and Raff held their breaths. The longer it took, the faster Sonic's heart banged against his ribcage. Eventually, everything dissipated. The clouds and glitches dispersed to fully unveil a different figure.

In Infinite's place, a golden yellow fox with patches of white fur laid flat on his back. A second tail was beside the other. The scar on his eye, instead of being completely gone, was still there; but it looked mostly healed. He still had dried blood all over his fur.

Sonic felt water forming in his eyelids. He held back his tears though as he slowly walked over to the limp animal.

"Tails?"

When he didn't receive a response, he kneeled down and gently pressed his ear over the vulpine's heart, avoiding the slit on his stomach.

 _Thump. Thump. Thump._

A sigh of relief washed over the cobalt hero. He was back. _Tails_ was back.

No more Infinite. No more Phantom Ruby. No more fighting.

Sonic could finally breathe knowing his little bro was finally okay.

But... the war hasn't ended yet.

The energy orbs that were released from the shattered ruby remained floating above Tails' unconscious body. They instantly glided to the top of the Central Tower, much to the heroes' shock. Regardless, Sonic was relieved. For now.

"What do you think that was all about?" Savage asked his sibling.

"I don't know," Raff placed a hand on his chin, "but it could be something bad. I can bet a hundred rings that Eggman might have something up his sleeve again."

"Figures. That rotund doctor is freaking tiresome to stop when he's got all these backup plans. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think we need to investigate what's going on over there," the teenager pointed at the Central Tower.

"You guys go on ahead. I'll stay here and get Tails to the medical team," the hedgehog spoke. **_(3)_**

"We will, but we need to be treated again as well," Raff suggested.

"Yeah, you're right," Savage agreed. "After what went down recently, I don't want to be stubborn over these cuts. Either way, I'm glad we got him back. And thank Chaos, he's... well, alive..."

"I hope that'll negate my previous statement then."

"Savage, Raff, I can't thank you guys enough."

"It's no problem, Sonic. We got your back, the same way you did to us back in Red Gate," Savage gave him a thumbs-up.

Sonic couldn't help but smile and return the gesture. As he glanced down at the sleeping kitsune, he ruffled the bangs on his forehead, sighing once more. He was going to make Eggman pay for what he did to his best buddy. But now wasn't the time. Tails needed help, foremost.

* * *

As the shuttle came down to pick up the heroes, the Egg Mobile was hovering in the distance. Dr. Eggman witnessed the entire runaway fight between Sonic and the wolves versus his brainwashed assistant. In the end, the latter was defeated and back to his original self.

A low grumble escaped his lips. "I honestly shouldn't be surprised like all the other times. Sonic has never failed to disappoint me. But Tails has been a complete embarrassment far too many times. I'll let that blue nuisance celebrate for once. Regardless, I have no need for that mutant anymore. My plan just went into overtime. It'll truly be the last thing Sonic and those pathetic critters will face in their lives! Besides, victory will be much sweeter when _I_ pull the trigger."

With that, Eggman took off to the underground section of his fortress. The reveal of his biggest surprise was imminent. He was confident that Mobius will fall under his rule for good.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Infinite's last stand has come to a close. More importantly, the Infinite persona is gone and Tails is back to normal! As much as Sonic hated to hurt him, the main thing was that Tails is alive... for now. Will Raff's statement about the Phantom Ruby ring true? Or will Tails remain active for the remainder of the war? And what new secret does Eggman have to offer? (Kind of obvious, but whatever.)_

 _The following level in the game is the Iron Fortress, but I'm going to skip that part entirely and focus on the next two chapters before I have Raff and Savage enter the Final Judgement. At this point, Revengeful Resistance will likely end at around forty chapters. So with that, I thank everyone (well, not exactly **everyone** ) for reading up to this point. Let me know how Infinite's final battle went in the review box below. Tell me if I need to correct any errors (besides anything regarding the debunked theory, thank you). Until then, I'll see you all in Ch. 36! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Yes, I made a Super Mario Maker reference in a Sonic fanfiction. Sue me._

 ** _(2):_** _"Mmm... a Krabby Patty with blue jelly! [Gasps] BLUE JELLY?!" ~SpongeBob SquarePants, from the Season 2 episode 'Jellyfish Hunter'._

 ** _(3):_** _Not really foreshadowing, but as I mentioned before, the Final Judgement level will mainly feature Savage and Raff instead of Sonic and the Avatar._


	36. Ch 36: Worthless

_A/N: To Jaime64games, tigerlilly901, and NarupokeeAurorafan, thanks for the favorites and follows since the last update. So close to 50 favorites! I know we can get there!_

 _I also want to thank Leodragon678, The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, SharpDragonKlaw, Alexandria Prime, Oderus, Black Twilight Wolf, TurquoiseTriangle, Tiger of Darkness, Golden Eye, and the anonymous Guests for leaving reviews in the previous chapter._ _To the one Guest who recently reviewed saying I implemented the fan theory and converted it into a story, THANK YOU. At least you understand my point alongside others._

 _Not only that but thanks to everyone for **30,000 views** on Revengeful Resistance! This is my third project that has reached this milestone!_

 _Well, now it's time for the next chapter. This is another one of those moments that pretty much defines how heartless I am. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy._

* * *

 _Disclaimer: I only take credit for this rewrite. Sonic doesn't belong to me._

* * *

 **Chapter 36:** Worthless

 _~?'s POV_

Pain. It was all I could feel.

My body couldn't move. My legs, my arms, my face... Everything stung.

I couldn't see anything either. My vision was completely blank, darkness capturing the entire picture. Yet for some reason, my eye receptors were somehow detecting another color.

Something red? Pink? Maroon? Magenta?

Ugh, my brain can't function properly. I couldn't think straight.

Worst of all, I don't know even know who I am. I'm just saying my inner thoughts out loud. To no one, really. My memory was all fuzzy, and I don't have a damn clue on what happened recently. The only thing I knew was that my body feels like it's about to rot. My bones and muscles ached. It's burning up to the point where I just want to die already so I wouldn't have to bear the pain anymore.

If only I knew how this all started.

Soon, my eyelids slightly fluttered. It was extremely hard for me to open them the whole way –even halfway was hard. Regardless, the black expanse surrounded me. Was I in limbo or some supernatural dimension? Is this Heaven or Hell? I don't have a clear and concise answer right now, but I wish I could say I was frightened. The only feeling I'm experiencing was distress.

 _Physical_ distress.

Suddenly, the world around me came into view. A light-blue sky appeared above me with white clouds slowly roaming across the atmosphere. Palm trees were scattered everywhere on the locale. I also heard rushing water.

That wasn't the only thing I perceived.

 _"Get him!"_

 _"Take that!"_

 _"How does that feel?!"_

My eyes widened when I saw several animals attacking me – a trio that consisted of a tiger, a jaguar, and a coyote. They used their hands and feet to injure me. The pain continued to get worse. I winced every time they landed a hit on my body. Although I'm explaining my thoughts, I couldn't find my voice to speak out loud and beg them to stop.

Why couldn't I do such a simple task? I don't have any words to answer that, either.

I felt doomed. Nothing was going to stop them. No one was going to save me. I was all alone and helpless.

As I awaited the worst to come, a whooshing sound passed by and somehow took care of the animals bullying me. I couldn't tell what was going on until the coast was clear. I barely sat up, sniffing my nose from the intense physicality. Just then, a hand lightly petted my head. Flinching from the touch, I hesitantly lifted my head to see who was there. Blinking, I noticed it wasn't the creatures bullying me. Instead, it was some blue-furred animal with a peach stomach, white gloves, and red shoes. He winked at me without saying a word and ran off.

That's when I found out that he was fast. Like, _wicked_ fast. Quicker than a speeding bullet.

My first instinct, as weird as it sounds, was to catch up to him. But he was too fast, and I was just a sluggish... What am I again? I also don't know where the heck I am.

Wheezing for air, I stopped by a pond with a nearby waterfall. I cupped my hands and splashed the water on my face, cleaning off the dirt. That was when I got a clear sight at my reflection. Although the water kept rippling, I noticed that I had orange-yellow fur, a white muzzle, white fur on my chest, gloves on my hands, and socks on my feet. Unfortunately, I didn't have any shoes, but at least I wasn't barefoot.

Out of nowhere, I looked behind and saw my tail. Except, there was _another_ one beside it. I was literally speechless. Then again, I haven't said anything since I woke up. All I did was fall down and laid my back on the grass in frustration.

The longer I stayed there, my memory was slowly resurfacing. Not everything was lucid, but I can draw up a good idea based on what I've observed thus far.

From my physical appearances, I assumed that I was a fox. However, I've been harassed by some people because I have this strange deformity. I'm certain there wasn't another animal who has multiple tails like myself. Because of that, I'm an easy target, especially when I don't have anyone to protect or care about me... aside from that speedy, blue animal. But he's not here anymore, is he? So, I'm all by my lonesome again. And I hate it.

My vision started to get hazy, but it's mostly because tears were forming in my eyelids. It didn't take long for me to cry myself to sleep.

* * *

When I reopened my eyes, I slowly stood up and took in my surroundings. I was in the middle of some forest. I wasn't sure if it was close to the place where I was rescued. But that doesn't mean that this forest couldn't be somewhere in the regional vicinity. After all, I was living on an island. An island full of bullies, to be precise. What if they try to hurt me again?

 _"Hey! There's the little freak! Let's give him another pummeling!"_

Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of unlucky coincidence?

 _"Hell yeah! He deserves this!"_

Why though? What did I do to deserve _this_?!

The same animals from before ran after me. I proved to be too slow and clumsy when I tripped over a bush. They soon cornered me as my back was right up against the trunk of a palm tree. With nowhere to run, I blocked my hands. As if that did anything to help me. No matter what, I was defenseless from their attacks. More kicks from their shoes. More punches from their large fists. More disgraceful words from their foul mouths. I've heard lots of derogatory terms throughout my years of living. (Living in misery, that is.) It's not like they were spitting out swear words. They used verbal insults to get into my head and make me feel worse about myself. 'Freak' was the one that got me the most. It was the same, dirty nickname they repeatedly use to tyrannize me.

I genuinely wanted this to be some kind of nightmare, but it seemed too real to me.

Why did I think of this? Because I could somehow _feel_ droplets running down my face.

I was hopeless yet again. It was coming to a boiling point where I felt like one of these guys is going to crack my ribs, give me a black eye, or something worse. My death sentence was approaching. Yet all I could do was curl up into a stupid ball of fur as I let them wallop all over me.

Then, the unexpected occurred. Again.

 _"OW! What the heck?! Who did that?!"_

Just then, I perceived another voice, but it was one that I've never heard of before.

 _"This is the second time that's happened. You guys liking picking on someone who isn't even half your size? How about you fight me instead?!"_

It was another male. But I don't know who was talking. He was enthusiastic for some reason.

 _"You have some nerve to interrupt our daily beatdown session! Alright then. At least we have another freak on our hands."_

I didn't know what was going on since I didn't dare to look. After a while, I heard the tiger yell. Then, some more screams. This time, they didn't come out of my mouth, nor did it come from the new stranger; it came from the bullies. More cries and shrieks roared through the jungle. The sound of rustling bushes made me think that the wind was blowing. Instead, I was unaware that it was my tormentors running away.

Meanwhile, I still didn't move from my spot. Not one inch. I just prayed that he would also leave. The last thing I wanted was a new person to drag me down even deeper.

 _"Hey, kid? You alright?"_

Oh, no. He's still here. And he's talking to me! Maybe if I play dead, I can-

 _"You know, if you're trying to play dead, it's not gonna work."_

...Damn it.

 _"Don't worry, kid. Those dorks are gone."_

 ** _"Yeah, but you're still here,"_** I complained to myself.

 _"Can you at least talk? It's a bit awkward to speak to a scrunched-up pile of fur."_

Oh, god. I didn't know what to do. Do I chicken out and let him hurt me? Or should I try to run away? Whatever decision I make, I'm not going to gain anything out of this. At the very least, I mustered up the littlest bit of courage to say something to him.

 _"P-Please... don't hurt me."_

Really? _That_ was the best I could come up with? And that's what my voice sounded like? I'm so screwed.

 _"What? I'm not going to hurt you."_ The animal sounded confused, but I wasn't buying it.

 _"Why not?"_

 _"What do you mean, 'why not'? There's no reason for me to do that."_

 _"But... everyone else does."_

 _"Everyone? Are you kidding?"_

 _"N-No..."_ A moment of silence followed.

 _"Hey, kid. I know you're shaken up right now, but can you please face me?"_

The tone in his voice was very sincere. Yet I can't take that for granted. I've met people who have pretended to act nice only to stab me in the back. You don't know how many times I've been deceived. I don't want to let that happen again.

 _"I promise I won't hurt you."_

I had my doubts, but he _really_ sounded kind. Eventually, I revealed my broken face to finally see who was talking. I saw a blue-furred animal with spikes behind his head and on his back. He wore white gloves like mine. And he had red sneakers with a white strap and a gold buck on each shoe. The one thing that stood out to me was his smile. To reiterate, strangers would simply act and sound nice to manipulate me. I don't know why, but I think I've seen him before. Not only that, he seemed different than the others. Whether it was instinct or a completely deranged thought, I was hesitant to talk. My self-esteem was already at an all-time low.

 _"See? I told you I wasn't going to hurt you."_

My stupid mind believed otherwise. _"Yeah, right. That's what bullies would say."_ I immediately slapped my hands over my mouth, thinking that I triggered him. _"Wait, no! I take it back! P-Please! D-Don't!"_ I raised my hands to shield my face.

 _"Hey! Hey! Calm down, sport!"_ His hand didn't directly touch me, but it was close enough to where I felt slightly uncomfortable. Somehow, I was able to stop shaking. Well, maybe a little. My hands cautiously lowered, and my eyes barely caught his emerald pupils. _"Listen, you didn't do anything wrong. I can understand it's hard to trust people that you don't know. But I swear, cross my heart and hope to die,"_ he showed the motion with his fingers, _"I am **not** going to hurt you."_

Although I don't trust him 100%, he has been the nicest person I've ever met... _ever_.

 _"So, kid. What's your name?"_

I froze. Is he gonna make fun of me for real once I tell him my name? I guess I have nothing to lose. I either continue the conversation or get beat up like every other time.

 _"M-Miles... Miles P... P-Pr-"_ I couldn't stop stuttering.

 _"It's okay. Just say it slowly."_

My eyes began to twitch, tears threatening to drop. _"Miles P-Prower..."_ I finished with a shaky exhale. Inside my mind, I did a double take.

 ** _"Is that really my name? Miles Prower?"_**

 _"Miles, huh?"_

I internally cringed when he repeated it.

 _"That's not a bad name,"_ he smiled, but I thought it was for no reason. _"Anyway, my name's Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."_

Sonic. Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?

Hold on... More of my memory was coming back. I _did_ hear about him, and I _have_ seen him before. Most of all, he was the same guy who saved me from those bullies the first time.

Oh, my god...

As much as I was scared to ask, I wanted to know. _"Y-You're Sonic? Like, **the** S-Sonic? The one who beat Robotnik a while back? The hedgehog who goes f-faster... than the speed of sound?"_

His grin widened. _"Yep! That's me!"_

I wanted to faint. However, I couldn't. I'd be vulnerable if this guy wanted to thrash me, hero or not. Although I heard good things about him, along with the fact that he's the _only_ person who's ever been polite to me, I can't automatically trust him. After all, we just met a few minutes ago.

 _"So, Miles..."_ I recoiled again. _"I don't think that's a bad name at all."_

 _"It is when you get the meaning behind it,"_ I looked down at my dirty socks.

 _"Meaning?"_

Gulping, I clarified. _"It sounds like 'miles per hour'. It's one of the reasons why I keep getting picked on."_

 _"Well, I don't see a problem with that. It's a cool pun, in my opinion. And I'm a sucker for puns and jokes like that!"_ His smile slightly faltered. _"Wait, what do you mean when you said, 'It's one of the reasons'? Is there more to it?"_

Shoot. No. He can't find out about my two tails! He's definitely going to call me a freak for sure! And he'll beat me to a pulp like those other animals, only worse!

Sonic must've realized how nervous I was when I started pathetically trembling. That's when he told me, _"Hey, it's alright! Don't worry. You can talk to me, and I'll listen."_

Hyperventilation. One of my worst weaknesses. I couldn't stop breathing heavily. He was trying to calm me down again.

As he was doing that, I kept repeating the same question in my head. **_"Why is he being kind to me?"_**

 _"Well, for starters, I can see that you're all bruised up. Those bullies must have done a lot of bad things to ya,"_ the blue hedgehog said as I struggled to not shed tears. _"But I'm not one of them. Can I least see what they've done to you?"_

Then, my nightmare was about to come true. Sonic reached out to lift me from my underarms. I tried to withstand because I wanted to hide my... horrific mutation.

 _"C'mon, bud. I want to help you."_

 ** _"He's lying. He just wants to see your stupid, ugly tails so he can kill you!"_** my conscience told me.

 _"Kid, can you please cooperate with me?"_ His tone wasn't exactly irritated, but I could tell he was not pleased with me resisting.

 ** _"Oh no. Well, this is it. At least I get to leave this cruel world."_**

I finally eased myself so Sonic can pull me up. The tree trunk gave me some lumbar support, but my legs started shaking like they were going to detach from my body.

If only that could happen to one of my tails.

Speaking of which, one of them popped out for Sonic to see. It was the moment of truth.

 _"Ouch. They really banged your tail up. That must be-"_

The second he paused, I knew I was in trouble.

 _"Whoa..."_ he whispered. He shifted his head to face me. _"You have **two** tails?"_

The forest around me started to expand before I went crazy. Not only was I hyperventilating again, but I was also hallucinating. All of the bullies, along with some new faces, started to spin around my head. They kept saying words to express their hatred towards me.

 _"You little squirt! I'm gonna kill you!"_

 _"I don't deal with abnormalities with you. Now go away!"_

 _"This won't hurt one bit. I'm just gonna punch the shit out of you until everything starts bleeding!"_

 _"I bet your parents abandoned you because they had to raise a freak of a child!"_

Everybody kept screaming at me as I attempted to silence the noise, plugging my ears. But I couldn't stop the verbal agony. I wailed loudly.

 _"STOP! PLEASE STOP! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I CAN'T HELP IT!"_

 _"Miles! MILES!"_

Then, his voice interrupted everything. I was back in the forest. Sonic was standing in front of me. He had the most alarming look I've ever seen from him.

 _"Hey, are you alright?"_ he sounded extremely concerned.

Crap. The tears started to reform.

Sonic was instantly by my side, laying his hands on my slouching shoulders and rubbing them to soothe me. _"Hey, bud. It's okay. Let it all out."_

I didn't know at the time that he was one who abhorred tears. If he admitted that to me, then I'd look like an absolute wimp in front of him. But he didn't say anything. He let me cry. He let me drain out years of pain, misery, and loneliness.

Then, to my surprise, I felt his hands wrap around my back as he pulled me forward into his chest. Resting my head below the crook of his neck, his steady heartbeat thumped, my ears perking to the rhythmic sound. It made everything... serene. Less stressful. For once, I felt like I was at peace.

Sadly, I had to ask. _"W-Why are... y-you d-doing... this?"_

 _"Because I feel bad for you,"_ he replied. _"If those jerks are here to ruin your life, I won't stand for it. I'll knock some sense into their puny, pea-sized brains!"_

I sniffled. _"I don't get it. You're a famous hero. You shouldn't be helping me out."_

 _"What are you talking about? Of course I should."_

 _"No, I'm a waste of time. I'm worthless unlike everyone else."_

Sonic instantly frowned and kneeled to my eye level. He had a stern look on his face, and I was frightened that I said something offensive to him.

 _"Don't say that about yourself. You are definitely not worthless."_

 _"But... my two tails-"_

 _"Are unique,"_ he interrupted. _"I've never seen a fox like you before. Heck, there isn't a single person I know who has more than one tail. But I think it's pretty cool!"_

 _"Really?"_

 _"Absolutely! Now let's get you home, kid. Sound good to you?"_

My ears folded back against my skull. Sonic noticed as the smile on his muzzle vanished.

 _"Did I say something wrong?"_

 _"Huh? Oh, it's nothing, really."_

 _"I don't think so. You definitely looked blue for a second there. Well, blue as in sad, not like my fur. Anyway, do you know where your parents are or where you live?"_

 _"I've never known my parents. I've been living on my own in this forest. Sort of..."_

 _"For how long?"_

 _"Um, since I was born, I guess."_

Sonic blinked twice. _"And you're how old?"_

 _"F-Four,"_ I stammered.

Sonic's eyes bulged. _"Oh my Chaos!"_ I leaned back at his loud response. _"Sorry, bud, but that's insane! How did you manage to survive this long?"_

I could only shake my head silently while glancing down at the dirt and grass. Sonic, on the other hand, slumped his shoulders before he put a hand to his chin, tapping one of his shoes. He snapped his fingers. To be honest, I flinched because... I don't need to explain it again, do I?

 _"Tell you what, buddy."_

My eyebrow raised. _"Buddy?"_

 _"Sure. Listen, I see that you're in quite a predicament. How about I take you out of this place?"_

 _"What? Why would you want to do that?"_

 _"To help you. I'm happy when I help others, especially when they're in major distress. And you're no different than the Flickies I've saved from Robotnik. If anything, I want to make sure you live a carefree life."_

 _"What do I have to do to repay you?"_

 _"Not a single penny. So what do you say, kid? Do you trust me?"_

The blue hedgehog extended a hand towards me. I was very hesitant at first, but after having a long, meaningful conversation with him, something in my gut was telling me that I should accept his offer. Then again, my brain was warning me to run the hell away. Yet the longer I stayed to ponder, the wider Sonic's grin was. He genuinely looked happy.

I gulped. Eventually, I raised my hand and shook with him.

 _"Awesome! I'll let you stay at my place for a while until further notice. Other than that-"_ He stopped talking when he heard my stomach growl. _"Heh, sounds like you haven't eaten in months."_

My cheeks blushed from his statement. _"That's probably because... it's true."_

 _"Oh, shoot. Well, I can't let you starve. Come on, buddy! I know a great place that sells chili dogs!"_

 _"Chili dogs? What are those?"_

 _"Uh, only the best food in the entire world! Now let's go!"_

Before I could respond, Sonic grabbed my wrist and hastened through the trees as I followed him at light speed. I was very nauseous from the running since I've never gone this fast before. But this was the beginning of something new.

As he got to learn more about me, I used my technical skills to fix his airplane. I've joined him on many adventures to become my own person. I've learned to be brave and defend myself against any danger, including Dr. Eggman. I got to know what it's like to live life to the fullest. And it was all because of him.

My best friend and big brother, Sonic the Hedgehog. **_(1)_**

But now that I've remembered my origin, I can't recall the rest of my memories. All I could wonder was what happened recently. Because the more I repeat his name in my head, my heart twinged.

It wasn't one of those nostalgic feelings. It was rather... indifferent.

* * *

As time flew by, I found myself surrounded by darkness again. However, I was able to remember some key moments I've experienced in my travels.

Sonic was somewhat hesitant to take me into battle against Eggman since I was a young kid. Regardless, I became his sidekick. I used the Tornado to help Sonic fly overseas and explore many destinations to stop the doctor from roboticizing animals or taking over the world.

At one point, there was a missile launch from Eggman to detonate Station Square. After I defused it, I was encountered by an Egg Walker. For the first time, I relied on my own skills without Sonic's assistance. When I managed to defeat Eggman's robot, that was the epitome of self-success. I got to show my worth that I can be reliable for not just the public, but to myself as well. Sonic was definitely proud of me for that moment alone.

Another memory was when Sonic got sent into space from Eggman's trap. I was stupid to reveal that the Chaos Emerald I gave to my friend was a fake in an attempt to trick the doctor. Before he was gone, Sonic gave me encouragement to retaliate. I had to redeem from my mistake and do what I was told. Sonic wouldn't accept me if I were to surrender that easily. Thus, I managed to outduel him in the Space Colony ARK. Thankfully, Sonic saved himself and we reunited. Not only that, but he and a black hedgehog named Shadow collaborated in their Super form to prevent the Colony from crashing into the planet. **_(2)_**

From thereon, every battle we had was an uphill journey, and I wanted nothing more than to be like Sonic after everything that he has done for me. And as I grew older, my voice was a bit raspy, and I got taller. I'm nowhere close to the height of my friends, especially Sonic, but that's beside the main point.

It wasn't until later when... things changed drastically...

* * *

There was this one time where Sonic went alone to stop Eggman per usual. However, Sonic's Chaos Energy got drained, and he became this ferocious werewolf... or rather, werehog. I shuddered whenever I think about that. Regardless, I wasn't with him. Instead, I was cowering in fear when I was surrounded by some freaky monsters in Apotos. I should've tried to beat them, but I didn't. I flew away and hid behind a wall. Sonic and his new friend, Chip, were there to stop them. Plus, the two paired up to prevent Dark Gaia from tearing the planet apart. To say the least, I wasn't very helpful in that adventure. I only hoped I could be better than that.

I wasn't.

Sonic and I went to Eggman's Interstellar Amusement Park in outer space. We met a weird, alien-like species, including a Wisp named Yacker. All I did was use my Miles Electric to communicate with it. Sonic wasn't exactly impressed when most of the stuff I translated came out to be jumbled nonsense. Regardless, Sonic went alone to free Yacker's friends from Eggman. They would travel across planets to shut down these power generators.

What did I do? I stayed back on the sidelines.

The only significant thing I did was saving Sonic from a mind-control cannon. Eggman briefly took control of me, but it didn't last long. Still, that was the only good deed I did.

Sonic took care of the rest and even went out of his way to push me in an elevator, sending me back home to Mobius while he stayed behind to stop Eggman. As much as I hated him for doing that, I appreciated his efforts and the fact that he cared about me. But in my mind, I could've been more supportive by actually helping him.

Then, on the day we celebrated Sonic's birthday, the Time Eaters have taken me and our friends into White Space. At a crucial point, Sonic surprisingly met a younger version of himself. I also met my 'Classic' self, but did we do anything to restore time and the dimensions? Not particularly. The two Sonics went off on their own to save our allies and stop Eggman and Robotnik from using the Time Eater's dark powers. We just cheered them on as they both transformed into their Super personas. They restored the timeline, and we said goodbye to our younger counterparts.

 _"Hey, Sonic! Enjoy your future. It's going to be great!"_ I reminisced Sonic saying to his Classic self.

Little did we know, especially me, that the future was going to be bleaker than ever.

The following journey that came across my brain was when Sonic and I chased Eggman to save some animals. We crashed onto the Lost Hex and came across some strange creatures called the Zeti; a.k.a. the Deadly Six. The scenario immediately became dire when Eggman, Orbot, Cubot, Sonic, and I were all forced to work together and stop the Zeti from using Eggman's Extractor from sucking the life out of the continent. Things became more hectic when I became defensive and childish to argue with Sonic, accusing my best friend of trusting Eggman more than me.

To make matters more awkward, I put Cubot's detached head on a Crabmeat and nearly got myself killed. Eggman saved me, but Sonic reprimanded my carelessness.

Soon after, I saved Sonic from being kidnapped in a capsule that the Zeti set up. I was held prisoner and threatened to be roboticized. Although I was unscathed and managed to escape, all I thought to myself, when I was stuck in the dark lair, was how worrisome Sonic could be. From my experience, I know how the hedgehog can be overprotective. But that's only because he has taken care of me for the past several years. We developed this strong, mutual bond together only to be ripped apart by a stupid rift I started.

I pretended to become a robot in front of my best friend, as much as it hurt both of us on the inside. But when I showed my true colors, it allowed Sonic a chance to chase after the remaining Zeti while I stayed behind to try and shut down the Extractor. Eggman appeared with a surprise mech, but Sonic took him down, too. We reconciled with Sonic apologizing for doubting me. I told him that it was okay, but I knew it was my fault for initiating the verbal fight. I didn't want to bring it back up, but it has happened on several occasions. No matter what, Sonic kept persuading me that it wasn't my fault.

Either way, our friendship was patched, and we spent the next several months carefree without any sign of Eggman or danger. **_(3)_**

Still, I felt meritless to him. I barely contributed in the last several adventures we shared. I was more of a bystander if anything, and it sucked. I wanted to be more than just a sidekick. I wanted to be more than just a useless individual. For some reason though, I haven't lived up to expectations.

Was I regressing? Am I truly worth being Sonic's best friend if I hardly helped him?

The world around me started to shrink. It felt like spiked walls were inching closer to pierce me to death. I wanted to get out of this nightmare. But was it really one? Or was this reality?

Reality...

Reality...

 _Virtual_ Reality...

I have no clue why these words were popping in my head, but they hold significance somehow. Why do they sound familiar? What does this mean?

...

...

...

Wait a minute.

* * *

Another memory flashed. My body was tossed onto the metal floor of a cell, and my arms and legs were tied up in rope. I slightly turned my head to face my captor. It was Eggman, sneering evilly at me. There was something strange about his look, and it had nothing to do with his ugly mustache.

 _"Hello, **Tails**."_

I scowled at him. _"What do you want, Eggman?!"_

He chuckled. _"Trying to act valiantly in front of me? You can cut the act, fox boy."_

 _"Just tell me what you want from me! It's not going to matter anyway because Sonic will stop you!"_

 _"Hohoho! That's where you're wrong! This time for real, I will put an end to Sonic and his annoying friends! Do you want to know how that's going to happen?"_

I didn't answer back. His stare made me uncomfortable.

 _"It's you."_

 _"Pfft, there's no way I'm going to build your robots."_

 _"Foolish pest. You think I'm going to use your brains for my scheme? Absolutely not! I'm the better mastermind in this room!"_

 _"Then why am I here?"_

 _"You'll see... Orbot! Cubot! Bring it in!"_

I watched his robotic henchmen hover in with a rolling pedestal and a box covered by a red handkerchief. Orbot revealed the contents inside. Within a glass box, there was a magenta gem glowing brightly. Its sheen made my eyes squint.

 _"Introducing my latest creation: The Phantom Ruby! This mysterious gem can alter minds and manipulate people's perceptions of the world around them. Lately, I've been scrutinizing its powers, and now I want you to be my test subject. And by that, what I meant is that you're going to be the reason to help me rule the world and defeat Sonic!"_

 _"I'm not going to help you at all, Egghead,"_ I snarled.

 _"Sorry, Tails, but I won't take 'no' for an answer. Either you submit to my commands, or I'll let you suffer. No matter what decision you make, I will murder that cocky hero of yours!"_

 _"I told you that I'm not going to help or work for you! Nor will I ever betray Sonic! Now get me out of here!"_

 _"Hmph..."_ he crossed his arms before snapping his fingers.

Out of nowhere, a door opened to reveal some Badniks. They brought out whips to strike me in the worst places. Some of them drilled their metal limbs to leave slashes on my body. One of the Egg Pawns put a shock collar around my neck. Eggman kept asking me to be his slave, and whenever I refused, he shocked me or told one of his robots to lash me. It kept going on for several minutes until a Badnik accidentally cut the ropes around my shins. Desperately, I flew over to Eggman, attempting to slam my restrained fists or tails at him. I was able to slap the remote out of his hands, but he pulled out a laser gun and didn't hesitate. He shot me in my right eye, and I fell back.

 _"Are you going to help me defeat Sonic? Or should I let my newest creation convince you otherwise?"_

Orbot and Cubot silently carried the ruby over to me with a set of tongs. As soon as the ruby barely touched a part of my hand, my left eye widened when the sensation burned. Then, a white light took over, followed by some magenta. All I could do was scream.

* * *

As soon as I woke up, I was back home. I felt somewhat safe for now, but there was something odd. I didn't know why.

Then, I heard a door slam. I turned to look over, but a hand punched me in the face, causing me to fall down. I rubbed my right cheek in pain. However, I gasped when I realized who hit me.

 ** _"Sonic..."_**

He stood up straight with a disgusted expression. Another fist landed at me, this time in the stomach. I groaned loudly.

 _"Can it, you little wuss! That didn't even hurt!"_

 _"Ugh... Y-Yes, it did! Why are you-"_

I couldn't finish my question as he shoved his shoe directly on my groin. I howled loudly.

 _"Shut up! You need to grow a pair or something!"_

 _"Sonic, why?!"_

He slapped me. _"Stop talking back! I can't believe I took you in as my sidekick. You're nothing but a two-tailed chump. A worthless, little freak!"_

 _"SONIC, PLEASE! AUGH!"_

The person who was supposedly my big bro kept abusing me. I couldn't stop him nor could I protect myself. I was being tortured in three ways – physically, verbally, and mentally. The more pain I endured, the more I cried. Which made things more miserable on my end.

* * *

It turned out to be an illusion caused by the Phantom Ruby. I eventually woke up in my cell with Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot staring at me. The pink gem returned to its place on the pedestal.

 _"I'm not going to mince words, so listen to me. Here's the deal. You'll become my test subject with this ruby, and you will help me capture Sonic. Once that happens, I will take over the entire world as you annihilate innocent civilians. The only incentive is that I won't kill Sonic immediately. If you want your so-called hero to survive, you will do what I command. Otherwise, I won't hold back, and I'll slaughter him before you could call out his wretched name in anguish. So, what will it be, Tails? Be my assistant? Or let Sonic die on the spot?"_

Never have I ever been blackmailed at all. Even if I had partaken in such cruel acts, this was even worse. I don't trust him one bit, but his threat was killing me.

Do I yield to Eggman and do what he says, at the risk of betraying Sonic and potentially losing him? Or does that potential become a guaranteed reality where he actually dies? If the latter occurred, it would be my fault.

For being a coward. For not protecting him. For being worthless...

I shed a few tears as I lowered my head in shame. I couldn't believe what I was going to do.

 _"Okay. I'll be your test subject."_

I didn't bother to look up, but I knew from instinct that Eggman was smirking in satisfaction.

 _"Excellent."_

* * *

And that's how it all started. Eggman gave me a mask to cover my mutilated eye. Then, I metamorphosed from a two-tailed fox to a dark jackal with the Phantom Ruby infused in my chest. I spent the next several days training to test my powers, much to Eggman's delight and to my chagrin. I still had a subconscious in my mind, but the influence of Phantom Ruby proved to be very strong and difficult to overcome at times. So whenever I heard the name 'Sonic', I had this terrible urge to destroy him. On the other hand, my true self struggled to fight the demons in my head.

Regardless, I became Infinite. I was the one who invaded Red Gate City to stop Shadow and Omega. Then, I encountered Sonic in the city with a fake version of myself and some of his old foes. That was when I took him down in the square, manipulated the clones to make 'me' dead, and wrecked Sonic's heart.

Over the next six months, we imprisoned Sonic and Shadow. I massacred thousands of living animals. The rest of my friends persevered to survive the war, yet I managed to inflict several of them with Virtual Reality. Afterward, they overcame the odds and defeated me multiple times.

Everything became clear now, especially with Eggman's voice repeating in my mind whenever I botched my missions.

...

 _"I trained you for just a few days to become my most powerful and brilliant creation ever to defeat Sonic. You did do your job, but now he's gone by the time my utopia was nearly complete."_

...

 _"If you want to continue living, I suggest you obey every command I give you and avoid retaliating against me! I gave you this power, and you're damn lucky I haven't killed you yet!"_

...

 _"You had ONE job, Infinite! ONE JOB! And yet you failed miserably again!"_

...

 _"Once again, your incompetence never fails to disappoint me and my expectations of you. I should've known that you were this worthless."_

...

I was responsible for commencing the Phantom Ruby War. I ruined Mobius. I betrayed my friends. I tortured Sonic. It's all because of me...

What I thought of myself was true. I was right from the very beginning.

When you take all the pros and cons about me, when you peek at my entire history, when you compare my achievements and failures, there's no way to sugarcoat it.

I _am_ worthless. I don't deserve Sonic. Not as his sidekick nor as his best friend. Not even as a little brother.

Things would've been better off if either he didn't take me or I died. I'm sure everyone else would have the same sentiment. Even Sonic.

A white light began to consume my vision. Maybe this was a sign.

"Tails..."

I could just go to Heaven and so everyone can move on from me. Albeit, I'd likely get rejected to Hell because of my actions.

"Tails..."

Is this a dream or am I deceased? If I _am_ dead, then why do I keep hearing my name in the first place?

"Please... wake up..."

So either I'm asleep or unconscious.

"I just want you back."

Please, who would want me back? Scratch that. Who would want to be with a worthless, two-tailed freak like me? After all I've done, I just want to die. That's the plain truth.

If he can hear me, I want him to know that I don't deserve an apology or any sympathy. I've been slowing him down from the start. He doesn't need me around. He's better off without me.

 _"Sonic, I'm sorry..."_ I despondently thought as the light took over.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _Since I started writing POV discussions in Ch. 3 of this story, I've always wanted to do one from Tails' perspective. Now that he's not Infinite anymore, here you go. However, I'm still a jerk._

 _Eventually, we'll go back to Savage and Raff for the Final Judgement level. The wolves won't be the only ones taking control. But before we get there, what will happen next? Will Tails die? Will he come back to life for the first time in over six months? And how's Sonic coping through all this?_

 _Stick around to check out Ch. 37 where Tails' fate could turn out miraculously or miserably. As for me, I'm flying back home tomorrow as my vacation comes to a close. Regardless, it'll take a while for a new chapter to be posted. Thanks for reading as always, and I'll see you next time on Revengeful Resistance! This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _For those who have read New Brotherhood, the backstory of Sonic and Tails' primary encounter has no significance to the one I made here. Either way, I didn't want to copy anyone else's format, but I utilized some key elements on how they first met. I tried my best to add in original dialogue, especially from a first-person point of view._

 ** _(2):_** _Tails may be a young fox (with a very shitty voice actor), but at least he showed some kind of competence during Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2._

 ** _(3):_** _I personally felt like Tails' characterization started to deteriorate around Sonic Unleashed and continued through Colors, Generations, Lost World, and (of course) Forces. Thank you, SEGA, for ruining him. (I'm not going to include Sonic '06 or the Boom series in this rant.)_


	37. Ch 37: Because I Need You

_A/N: Thanks to Roysuko, Allie X 'I, dbot, 77Xfire, Stardust Enterprise, AnimalLover1328, and Lt. Commander Hanna Tucker, Revengeful Resistance is now over **50 favorites** and just short of **60 followers**! I can't thank you all enough as well as everyone else who's followed since day one._

 _I also want to thank those who reviewed since the last update: The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, SharpDragonKlaw, Alexandria Prime, Tiger of Darkness, Oderus, Golden Eye, and Guest(s)._

 _Before we move on, I slightly changed one of Sonic's lines in the last chapter just to make it sound a bit more coherent. And sorry for making you wait this long. Now let's return to the story!_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: This rewrite belongs to me. Sonic and the main characters, aside from Savage, Raff, and the other extras, are owned by SEGA._

* * *

 **Chapter 37:** Because I Need You

 _Location: Eggman Empire Fortress_

The more enemies the Resistance had to fight, the longer the war endured. Still leading the charge, Knuckles went head-on against Metal Sonic, alternating his fists as he punched in the face and chest. The doppelganger was hardly fazed as he attempted to scrape the Commander with his sharp claws. Knuckles jumped backward in time to avoid the attack, but he soared towards him to punch him in a flurry rush. Metal was knocked back into a couple of fake jackals. Seeking payback, the robot zoomed forward to slaughter the leader.

However, Amy ran in front of her friend, slamming her hammer horizontally to whack him into a Zazz clone.

"How much longer do we have to hold these goons off?" she asked Knuckles while helping him up.

"At least until the Phantom Ruby is destroyed. As much as that endangers Tails' life, the only way these clones will go away is we beat them all."

"It'll take forever to fight these guys!" Silver exclaimed as he and Blaze battled some clones of Zik and Zeena.

"Which is why our best bet is for the ruby to be annihilated! If Infinite created all of them, they should go away!"

"What makes you say that?" Blaze wondered.

"I don't know! I'm trying to be logical!"

On the other side of the battlefield, Team Dark kept persevering against the mob of duplicates. Shadow was currently facing another Zavok.

"You're just as incompetent as the little, blue rat. All you do is fight for power and selfish deeds," the red creature taunted.

"I can fight, but I don't do it to boost my ego," Shadow growled at him.

"Who are you even fighting for then? The public? Society? Your stupid government agency?"

"You could say that."

"Pathetic, I have to admit. You and your ungrateful allies are no match to our power! You're just wasting your lives only to be killed later!"

"Excuse me for actually fighting for justice! I'm not one of you!"

"Your clones say otherwise."

"They're fakers, just like you. I'm only here to do what's right, and that's to take the planet back into our control!"

"I repeat, you're wasting your time. But this is a glorious opportunity to take you down like that stupid, weak girl you failed to protect."

Shadow clenched his teeth, wrath filling his red pupils. He pounced on the stocky Zeti, zipping at light speed to outdo his moves. Kicking his legs into his chest, he pushed Zavok to crash into an army of jackals who dissipated on impact.

"Don't even _DARE_ to bring Maria up in this discussion!"

"Shadow, look out behind you!" Rouge called out to him.

The black hedgehog turned around, noticing a laser shot at him. It came from an Omega clone, glitches surrounding his bulky structure. Shadow dashed over to spin dash its head, sending the enemy flying over to the bat. She drilled her shoes into the head as the body plummeted. Before the fake Omega reached the ground, Chaos glided across the surface to the landing spot. The God of Destruction consumed the robot, trapping him in his body before ejecting him. The trajectory sent the foe to the real Omega. He did the honors by blasting him with his machine gun.

"I am the real E-123 Omega! No replica shall overpower my status or dignity!"

"Knuckles, any word on Sonic and the Wolf brothers?" queried Vector.

"I haven't heard from them yet. Who knows if Sonic has caught up to Infinite? And-" The Commander paused when he noticed something strange. Some of the clones paused in the middle of their stances, freezing with their weapons or their arms extended awkwardly. Their bodies began to glow in red. For some reason, the duplicates didn't disappear entirely, not even when the Resistance tried to impair them in their immobile state.

Espio was the first to speak about this. "What's going on? Why is everyone fading?"

"More importantly, why the heck are they not going away?!" Charmy grunted when he couldn't sting a motionless Zor.

Just then, Knuckles received a message from Savage. "Hey, Rookie! You alright?"

"I'm fine, and so is Raff."

"Dude, we were all worried when you said you were going to get rid of the sun."

"Yeah! I believed that both of you sacrificed your lives!" Vector exaggerated.

"Well, we're talking to you now, right? We're here," told Raff.

"At least that's good news. Anyway, give us an update."

"Well, Sonic, Savage, and I encountered Infinite. We had to chase him down the road near the Central Tower."

"Okay. And?" Knuckles felt his stomach drop a little.

"We destroyed the Phantom Ruby," Savage answered.

"No way. Are you serious?!"

"We did it, Commander. The ruby's gone, and Infinite has been defeated."

Because the speaker was loud, most of the Resistance's crew nearby Knuckles heard Savage's confirmed report. They began to tell the others before the crowd roared loudly at the good news.

"Guys, quiet down for a second!" the echidna simmered the cheers. "I know it sounds great for us, but I have to double-check something."

"What is there to double-check?" Spot was confused.

"What about Tails? Is he alright? And where's Sonic?"

"That's right..." Amy realized. "What happened to both of them? Are they still alive?" she prayed for a miracle.

"Because we abolished the Phantom Ruby, Tails' body turned back to normal. He's unconscious, not dead at the moment. Albeit, I did read a report from Eggman's files that he could perish as a result from the ruby's destruction."

A long period of silence unfurled as the main members of the Resistance took in Raff's words.

"Wait... what exactly does that mean?" Shadow questioned.

"I hid this from Sonic on the night he fought that Metal Sonic clone on Red Gate Bridge. I recently explained it to him, but I haven't told any of you as well. The thing is, Tails' life was in danger since the ruby was fused into his body. From the information I hacked from Eggman's database, it said that whoever is linked to the original power could potentially perish with the ruby."

"So, since Tails was given the power of the Phantom Ruby, you're saying that destroying it could make him... die?" Blaze widened her eyes.

"Exactly."

"But need I remind you that we said Tails is unconscious at the moment," Savage interrupted.

"So then where he is?" Rouge implored.

"Don't forget about Sonic!" Amy worried.

"We called the medics to bring a shuttle over to our location. They're tending to Tails right now as we speak. Sonic is also looking over him for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, we have to head over to the Central Tower."

"Why is that?" Silver put a hand on his chin.

Raff coughed to clear his throat before explaining. "After the ruby was gone, we saw some radiating energy floating over Tails' body. It flew over to the top of the Central Tower, then we saw it descend somewhere underground. Here's my intuition. Eggman had a secret reactor powering Metropolis which allowed Infinite, a.k.a. Tails, to use the Phantom Ruby and try to trap Sonic into Null Space. Since we saw the remnants of the ruby's energy flowing here, I have a feeling that it's somewhat connected to a reactor in this Empire Fortress. And if I'm correct, the reactor is in a similar place as the one in Metropolis: underground."

"Hold on," Shadow held a hand up. "Is that why these fakers are still here? You said that the ruby is destroyed, but the powers that were expelled from its destruction are still active? Were they pulled towards the underground reactor here?"

"I think he's onto something," Collar understood his reasoning.

"So, if that's true, we need to head to the reactor and shut it down to officially cancel out the ruby's energy!" declared Knuckles.

"Maybe that'll get rid of the clones, too!" Rouge bobbed her head.

Speaking of them, they suddenly regained control and attempted to attack the Resistance.

"Okay, here's what we'll do. Cole, Spot, Collar, the three of you will lead our entire squadron to defend against these bozos! Chaos, be sure to protect them at all costs while using your own power to retaliate."

The God of Destruction nodded at Knuckles' request.

"Now," he turned to his friends, "Amy, Silver, Blaze, Team Dark, Chaotix, we're going to accompany Savage and Raff to help them get into the base of the Central Tower and work our way down to the reactor. We'll shut the power down to finally end Eggman's reign. And once that occurs, we'll overthrow the fat bastard!"

"You heard the Commander!" Cole shouted. "We shall not surrender to the Phantom Ruby or Eggman!"

"Yeah!" the entire Resistance roared across the valley. Once they did, the main squad set off for the underground base beneath the Central Tower. **_(1)_**

* * *

Elsewhere, within the depths of his Empire Fortress, Dr. Eggman was activating his secret weapon hidden below. While he was busy charging up the mechanism, Orbot and Cubot waited against a rock wall, awkwardly floating in silence.

"Are we really at this stage of the war?" Cubot asked his robotic companion.

"Considering the doctor is both irate and helpless at this point, yes. In fact, he has gone to desperate measures."

"Hey! I heard that, Orbot!" Eggman popped his head out of the machine he was starting up.

"I know. I said that out loud on purpose."

Eggman lowly growled before disappearing into the hatch. He had this weapon built throughout Sonic's imprisonment. Because he didn't trust Tails, alongside the fact the fox barely had control of his own will, he devised something so cynical that it's like he knew his previous plans were going to fail somehow.

The Resistance rescued Sonic. Shadow managed to escape the Death Egg to reunite with them. They recaptured the zones. They took down Metropolis after the first letdown. The sun was nullified. Tails was defeated and no longer his assistant. And the Phantom Ruby was completely destroyed.

However, Eggman cackled maniacally, echoing in the chamber of his humongous weapon and throughout the underground base that Cubot and Orbot could hear him.

"Do you still think the Phantom Ruby corrupted his mind from all this?" Cubot scratched the top of his head.

Orbot shrugged, but not in the sense that he didn't have a clue. "Genuinely, I think that's part of the reason. The fact that he's been obsessed with torturing Tails and Sonic during this war adds to his psychological issues. That probably won't end until he officially ends the latter. Only then will his confidence rise back up to the max, and he'll reign supreme yet again. You saw how effortless it was to control 99% of Mobius when Sonic was out of the picture."

"True. And when he came back to help, they recovered most of the land back."

"You got to give credit to where it's due since the others hijacked the Death Egg to break him out. Sonic would've been dead if it wasn't for them."

"Well, Dr. Eggman _could've_ killed him earlier. He had six months, for crying out loud!"

"I mean, you're not wrong. It's technically his fault for wanting to gloat in his face."

Eggman banged his head from the inside. "OW! Damn it!" he swore before reopening the hatch door. "You need to learn how to shut up when I tell you!" Eggman pointed a finger at Orbot.

"You never said that to me. You specifically said, quote – 'Hey! I heard that Orbot!' – unquote. And that's all."

"Smart-aleck..." he muttered under his breath.

"And sir, I meant to say that out loud as well. We really don't care how many times this point has to be made."

"Yeah," Cubot agreed. "You had your easy shot to end Sonic once and for all, but you decide to keep him hostage? It's like keeping a bunch of bananas in your kitchen and you don't throw it away even though it eventually rots into brown mush."

The sound of Eggman's fist banging the outer metal caused Orbot and Cubot to jump. Not only that, he unexpectedly dug near where his feet stood in the weapon, pulled out a wrench, and hurled it at his henchmen. Both of them dove away in opposite directions as the tool clanged against the rock wall. With Orbot and Cubot temporarily out of the way, the doctor made his final preparations. It was no holds barred in his mind. Once Sonic is dead, the Eggman Empire will mount its return.

* * *

The shuttle picked up turbulence in the war zone that it was too dangerous for the medics to heal Tails' wounds. As a result, they made a last-second effort to land in a safe spot. Although it wasn't much, the team brought the unconscious fox inside the Central Tower. As Tails was transported via gurney, Sonic ran by his side the entire time, overlooking his little buddy. Deep down, he blamed himself for putting him in such a peril state.

If he searched for Tails after he left the Mystic Ruins that day, Eggman wouldn't have kidnapped him. Had he found the fox in this very base, Tails might've been safe, slightly inflicted at the most. In a scenario where Sonic wasn't oblivious or overconfident on that fateful evening in Red Gate, this war could've been nonexistent. His friends struggled to survive in his absence. Eggman's evil empire could've been prevented. Most importantly, he wouldn't have to bear the idea of Tails being injured or dead.

But that was in the past. There was no holding onto 'what if' at this point. All of that shit happened, and he wanted nothing more than for his little brother to be okay right now.

Tails was taken into a private room of the tower. Ironically, it was the secret area where Eggman hooked up the former jackal to a chemical tank. Sonic, unaware of this fact, was somewhat curious about the layout. The multitude of cylinders made him wonder what Eggman was conducting in this base.

However, he refocused his attention on Tails. He was set down on a makeshift bed with soft pillows and a blanket placed over a metal desk. Delilah and Greg led the nurses to give him the essential treatments. With his life on the line, Sonic was nervous; so nervous that he started tapping his shoe on the floor. Normally, he'd do that when he was impatient.

This was a much different situation though, one that could determine life or death.

And it's the fate of the person he swore to protect.

After the medics were done, Sonic felt his stomach drop. It hurt his heart seeing his friend like this. His stitched eye was covered with an eyepatch. Gauze covered the cuts on his arms and legs. The white chest was bound by bandage tapes. Most of the dried blood spots were cleaned up. The only positive out of all this was that Tails' stomach slowly rose up and down, indicating that he was still breathing.

Sonic wanted this to be another Virtual Reality scene. It'd be as cruel as the ones he faced in his imprisonment, but at least it would be fake. Unfortunately, here he was, and there lie his brother.

He was _this_ damn close from breaking down.

Delilah and Greg told everyone to give the hedgehog some privacy, and they, too, respectively left him alone with the fox.

He took a nearby chair and sat beside him. His fingers gently caressed the bangs on his forehead. The moment he did that, his eyes began to swell.

"Tails... Tails..." he repeated. The more he stared at him, the harder it was for him to keep his composure. "Please... wake up... I just want you back."

A couple of minutes elapsed as Tails remained immobile aside from his chest. Sonic wanted nothing more than to give a warming hug after being separated and forced to fight him. Given his current condition though, he knew it wasn't optimal. All he could do was wait as the rest of the Resistance tried to finish off Eggman and his army of clones that 'Infinite' left behind.

He reminisced how much he hated the jackal for beating him in the square. It was a different story after Shadow told him everything. Taking everything into account, he took back every bad thing he said about Infinite. He knew this war wasn't his entire fault. Although the kitsune was partially responsible, Sonic can't find the heart to pin any blame on him. The Mobian soldiers might think otherwise, but in his mind, Tails shouldn't be reprimanded.

Just then, Sonic heard a soft groan. When he glanced at the kitsune, the fingers on his left hand began to move ever so slightly. It was highly doubtful that he was back to full strength. Still, he had a sliver of hope.

Sonic desperately checked for more signs of life. He noticed his closed eyes were barely twitching. The fox's nose flinched, quietly inhaling the somewhat dirty air inside the Central Tower. The toe cap of his right shoe jerked for a quick second that if Sonic wasn't looking, he would've missed it. Yet he saw his body slowly react, one part at a time.

Soon after, when the left eyelid began to lift, Sonic caught a small glimpse of his azure eye for the first time in over half a year.

"Tails?" his voice croaked.

The former jackal could hardly tell where he was. Blinking only made his eye hurt. Fighting through the pain, the kid struggled to see clearly. All he could make out was a bunch of dark colors. To his right, he saw a shade of cobalt blue and...

 _"Blue?"_

There was a bit of white, peach, and green mixed in. From his point of view, he was perceiving the image of a person. And he, she, or whoever this person was seemed to be staring back at him.

Staring with shimmering, emerald eyes.

"Tails..."

His heart stopped the moment he heard him speak clearly. The fox's vision improved, and he soon came face-to-face with him.

"S-Sonic?" his raspy voice trembled.

"Yeah... It's me, buddy," he formed a sad smile.

Tails was about to say something until he got distracted by his surroundings. Despite being tired, he instantly knew where he was.

"Why am I here?"

"The medics were trying to heal you in our shuttle, but it was too dangerous outside with the war-"

"No," he interrupted, "get me out of here. I know this place."

"Tails? What's wrong?"

"Get me out of here!" he tried to jump off the desk.

Sonic promptly held onto his arms, restraining him. "Chill out, dude! Everything's alright!"

"Y-You don't get it! I remember this lab! Eggman had it set up here, and..." The fox started to hyperventilate.

Sonic started to realize why Tails was having a PTSD moment. He didn't even need time to ask or think about it. He grabbed the blanket and a pillow before lifting Tails off the desk, minding his injuries. Tails slightly groaned as he wrapped his arms around his neck. The hedgehog dashed out of the room, rushing past the others.

"What the heck? Sonic! What are you-" Greg tried to stop him.

"Can't explain! Don't worry about us!" Sonic yelled from the other side of the hallway. He kept going until he reached an empty room with two beds built right into the wall. Based on their sizes, they were small but fitting enough for Orbot and Cubot to sleep whenever they worked in this fortress. He pushed the trivial thought aside and placed the pillow against the wall. Gently, Sonic laid the fox on the mattress. Rather than lying down, he was sitting upright. His shoes barely hung over the other side, yet neither seemed to care. Lastly, Sonic covered the blanket over his body so he wouldn't be cold.

"You alright now, buddy?"

Tails kept breathing unevenly, his right hand resting over his heaving chest. "A little bit," he replied sincerely.

 _"At least that's good,"_ the blue hero sighed to himself.

Sonic couldn't look at him for a while. He felt anxious to talk to him, but his heart was screaming at him to bury the hatchet. Soon, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Tails... I'm so sorry this had to happen to you."

"What do you mean?" he raised an eyebrow.

Sonic scratched the back of his head, facing away from him again. "I never would've thought that Eggman would make you become a villain. I had no idea you became Infinite. You were forced to destroy Mobius under his command. If I would've saved you, none of this would've happened."

He couldn't think how Tails would respond to that. All he hoped for was that he was back to the same geeky, loving fox he teamed up in his countless adventures. He wished Tails had the heart to forgive him. Curiosity killed the hedgehog as he barely glimpsed to his left. What he didn't expect was a lost expression from his friend.

"You do realize that this isn't your fault?"

It was Sonic's turn to be puzzled. "Huh?"

Tails didn't immediately respond, and his facial expression didn't change at all. He aimlessly stared down at his lap. "When I got captured, I didn't even do anything. I froze on the spot. Eggman managed to take me here without any effort. Since then, I became the monster that I was. Just because you didn't save me, nor did you not realize about my secret identity, doesn't mean much except for the part where I almost got you killed."

The hedgehog blinked. He couldn't believe what he was saying. Why was he talking about this? Before he could interject, Tails beat him to the punch.

"In fact, I agreed to be his slave. He threatened me by saying he was going to kill you. After seeing this weird, sadistic side of him, I thought he was trying to play mind games. But the power of the Phantom Ruby made me lose control. I went through an illusion where I was being treated poorly by you. Although it may have been fake, the memories never left my head. Eggman claimed that he was going to kill you in cold blood right in front of me. Since I didn't want that to happen, I became Infinite when he gave me the Phantom Ruby to possess. No matter what the decision I made, I was going to be the reason that you were going to be dead."

"But I'm not, Tails. Look at me. I'm alive and here by your side!" Sonic tried to lighten the situation.

It didn't work.

"That doesn't matter," Tails grumbled, his fists clenching underneath the sheet. "I can't take back everything that I did. I destroyed most of Red Gate City. I created those clones of Shadow, Metal, Chaos, and Zavok to divert you. I _fought_ you. Worst of all, I was responsible for your first defeat against Eggman. If you ask me, that's a kick in the tails. It eventually led to the rise of the Eggman Empire. Everyone else had to survive or surrender to his army. Do you know how many people have lost their lives because of me?"

Sonic didn't want to discuss that even though he was aware of the death toll a few days ago. Either way, Tails digressed.

"Although the Phantom Ruby tore me apart and had me obey Eggman for most of my enslavement, I had some self-control. It wasn't much of a good thing though since most of the time I talked smack at him. He would punish me for my actions – shocking me, drowning me in the water chamber just like you did..."

Sonic shuddered at that terrible moment, but he was more worried about Tails.

"There were even times when the Phantom Ruby fractured my thoughts. The illusion where you kept abusing me replayed every time Eggman wanted me to suffer for failing him. I had to fight so hard to keep you alive. At the same time, the damn ruby was eating me up on the inside. It hurt so bad every time I had to fight you. I know you too well that you would never try to hurt me, and vice versa. I know that you're blaming all of this on yourself, yet you hardly have more reasons than me on why you're the one who should say sorry. I'm the one who's supposed to do that. But it's not worth accepting my apology."

The Blue Blur shook his head, discouraged by his gloomy manner. "Why would you say that? I would forgive you in a heartbeat."

That's when Tails lost it.

"BECAUSE I ALMOST MADE YOU DIE! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO SAY IT?!"

Sonic was startled by his outburst that he leaned back with his hands held in front of him and a foot in the air. He was afraid that he was going to do something unexpected. For now, Tails remained put on the bed. However, his face was written with exasperation.

"Six months. Six _fucking_ months, Sonic," the fox muttered.

"Tails, please don't use that language..."

"Shut up! How have you not realized my point?!" he growled. Sonic was slightly hurt as he awkwardly froze beside him. "I caused those clones to distract you while I used the power of the Phantom Ruby to negate your speed. I made you look helpless. I made your friends worry about you to the point where they thought you were actually deceased!"

"Tails, I know I've said this before, but they're your friends, too," he mumbled as his hands fell to the sides.

Despite being overemotional, Tails didn't show any signs of crying. He didn't even show tears of anger. There was nothing but rage in his blue eyes. Or rather, his only functional eye.

"As I was saying, I made you spend six months in the Death Egg with Eggman taking over Mobius. He pushed you to the breaking point by giving you all those punishments, including the video clip of my clone dying in front of you. When I wasn't in your cell, I had to watch you from a secluded room of the Death Egg. On the inside, I wanted to break free and get you out of that hell; on the outside, however, I felt nothing. I didn't do shit to help you escape. I even tortured you with Virtual Reality. That just made you break down more than before."

Tails breathed heavily, taking a second to catch his breath. He continued to rant as Sonic stood still, his shoulders slouched.

"Knuckles and the others were able to bust you out of there and damn it, I actually wanted that to happen. Of course, 'Infinite' said otherwise. If they weren't able to rescue you, or if I made one fatal mistake in front of Eggman, I knew he was not going to hold back. No matter what, he was going to send you out into space to suffocate. It was only a matter of when he would discard you. Thankfully, Egghead was too cocky; he let you stay alive for the sole purpose of seeing Mobius crumble. That's when Knuckles led everyone to your rescue. It makes sense why he called your squad the Revengeful Resistance. You're here to overthrow Eggman and knock me out senseless for my crimes."

"Tails, we would never do that to you. Well, of course we're going to kick Eggman's behind after failing the last few times. But there's no way are we going to punish you for something you didn't agree to do. The Phantom Ruby affected your train of thought."

"That's not how it works, Sonic. Those people out there have a legitimate reason why they're mad at me. It's not because I was born with a deformity; it's because I murdered thousands of innocent lives and obliterated their homes. And you think that the ruby was the reason why the world is what it is today? You truly believe that I'm _not_ accountable for all that shit?"

"I mean, you have a point. Wait, no... Can we not talk about this?" Sonic wanted nothing more than to shove this topic off the table.

Tails refused as he whispered, "I don't deserve you."

"What did you say?" the hedgehog did a double take.

He gave him a cold glare, stating one word at a time. "I... don't... deserve... you."

"What are you talking about, Tails?"

"Why do you even put up with me?! How do you even tolerate someone like me?! I'm nothing but a worthless, little freak!"

"Tails... I-I don't..."

"You should've never taken care of me! All I've done was slow you down! Even when you tried to train me, let me live life as a kid, or make me feel like I'm actually worth living, I'm nothing but a disgrace! You wouldn't have been kidnapped and tortured if it weren't for me!"

Sonic frowned deeply, having trouble to find the words to say. He could've sworn he felt his heart tore into two pieces. He had done so much to help this poor fox after his cruel childhood on West Side Island. Now, Tails' self-esteem has hit a new all-time low. The hedgehog couldn't help but believe that he failed him as a brother.

"Well... that could've happened to anyone else. Eggman might've captured Knuckles or Amy and try to possess them with the ruby. I'd be just as petrified. But you're a different story, Tails."

"Yeah, it'd be much different if I wasn't a part of your life."

"Tails, that's not what I meant."

"It should be though."

Sonic started to become frustrated. "Why do you keep belittling yourself? Haven't I told you that you're not a freak or anything like that? You need to stop putting yourself down for a change!"

"I deserve to be put down for what I've done," he muttered quietly.

"Tails, that's enough!"

The cobalt hero hated to speak harshly at his best friend, but Tails kept blaming himself to the brink. The fox contemplated death as the viable solution for helping Eggman build his empire and destroying the world. For him to think about something that no kid should have to deal with at a young age made Sonic furious with himself. Despite this, he let out his pent-up anger in front of him again, screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Why do you keep thinking that you deserve such a cruel fate?! You don't think that you're worth living? That you don't deserve someone to keep you safe?! I wasn't going to abandon you the moment I found you. I made a promise that I would never let anyone hurt you. Obviously, I didn't fulfill it. But I wanted nothing more than for you to live a normal, happy life! I don't care about what you did; it's all Eggman's fault. He's the one who possessed you and turned into Infinite. You have to open your eyes and realize that you're not to blame for all of this. And if you call yourself a worthless freak one more time, then so help me Chaos, I will not stand up for it!"

Green narrowed eyes met blue as they stayed like that for nearly a minute. Tails couldn't take more of this staring contest as he shifted his head, maintaining his glare. He softly sighed in annoyance. It was directed at himself, not the Blue Blur.

"I still don't know why you can tolerate me if I haven't helped you in the slightest. Whenever we go on adventures together, you do the bulk of the work – smashing robots, dashing through zones, and defeating Eggman like it's a piece of cake. I've always stayed behind on the sidelines as I watch you from a distance. If I was part of the action, I'd be focused on machines and technology instead of physical combat. That's why I barely contribute. It's not because I'm following your command of staying behind to prevent myself from getting hurt or killed. I just don't help you."

Sonic's cross expression began to fade away as he took in his words. They were just as demoralizing, but he didn't interrupt as Tails had more on his mind.

"I get scared of the enemies I face. When I have to choose between fight or flight, I usually go with the latter. It makes me feel like a coward. You're more impulsive yet courageous to take on any sort of danger. Our personalities don't mesh together. We may have some stuff in common, but there's no point to watch out for me if I can't return the favor."

The hedgehog shook his head, gently whispering to try and alleviate the issue. "Tails, that's completely false. You have done so much for me that you don't give yourself enough credit. Plus, there is a reason why I stood by your side this whole time."

Unsure of what his response would be, he cautiously glanced up. "And what's that?"

Placing his hands on his shoulders, Sonic gave him a compassionate look. "Because I need you."

The yellow vulpine blinked twice. He followed with a dubious glance.

"You're not a villain anymore. You're Tails – an intelligent, unselfish, tech-savvy, two-tailed fox. More importantly, you're my best friend and little brother. I hardly take in my emotions seriously. But when it involves you... I don't know. What I'm trying to say is that I'm nothing without you, buddy. I may have lived a normal life on my own as a lone hero with no sidekick. Yet somehow, you add something meaningful to it...

"I feel like I have a true reason to hang onto the edge of tomorrow. Rather than waking up alone, I can expect a brand-new day with someone I can hang out with on a daily basis. That someone is also my voice of reason, helping me learn from my mistakes. At times, I can't rely on myself, and you're the first person I would come to for assistance. But if I make a mistake that could cost your life, it'd be hard to swallow my fears and pain. That's why I felt so miserable on the Death Egg when I believed you were dead. It would put me back to the days before I met you, where I would have to live on my own. But it'd be worse knowing that I failed to protect you." **_(2)_**

Suddenly, Tails saw water in Sonic's eyes. He hardly saw him cry, and this was a rare, yet plausible, occasion.

"Tails, please understand me... You were a victim of Eggman's tyranny. This was not your fault at all. And even if the public doesn't think that way, that will not change my mind. You'll be my little buddy forever. I honestly don't want to remind you every time, but I'll keep saying it until the day I truly die. Because you mean so much to me."

After his emotional discourse, Sonic's walls fell apart. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms behind the fox's back. His head cradled over Tails' right shoulder, holding him tightly without putting too much pressure on him. A few sobs escaped his lips. He couldn't care less if he teared up in front of him.

The kitsune, currently speechless, let him break down. In this role reversal, Tails rubbed Sonic's back, mindful of the spines. He closed his eyes tightly, squeezing his big brother to death. He started to form tears as well. The Inseparable Duo pulled each other closer, throwing their earlier arguments aside and replacing them with heartfelt feelings.

They officially reunited.

"I'm... still sorry... for what I've done... and for yelling at you," Tails sniffed.

"It's okay, buddy. It's okay," Sonic held a hand behind his head. "I'm sorry, too."

"Apology accepted. Can you forgive me?"

"I already did."

"Thank you..." Tails replied with a shaky huff.

Sonic was quick to stop crying. He remained bittersweet, but he was more relieved that Tails was back. After a few minutes, he let go and gave him some room to breathe. Tails wiped his own eyes with his gloved hand, sniffling and gasping for air.

"You sure you're alright, Tails?"

He slowly nodded. "I am now, thanks to you. After all, back at the Mystic Ruins, you told me that I promise to move on from the past and bounce back."

Sonic grinned as he recalled that, too. "That's my little bro," he tenderly patted his shoulder.

"As much as I want to show my face to Eggman and make him pay, my aches are killing me. I don't think I can get up right now."

"It's no problem, buddy. I understand."

"Sonic, can you do a favor for me?"

"Anything."

Tails took a deep breath before responding. "Take Eggman down. Avenge me, the Resistance, and yourself."

"Are you sure you don't mind me leaving?"

"Not at all. I believe in you, big bro."

The grin on his muzzle stretched as he winked and gave him a thumbs-up. "I'll be back soon. Promise."

Tails returned the smile before he lied back on the pillow. Sonic tucked the blanket over him before quietly leaving. When he got to the door, he saw Greg and Delilah.

"Do me a solid, would ya? Look after him. I'm going to find Knuckles and the others."

They nodded as they entered the room, checking up on his injuries. Sonic remained at the entryway, staring at his sleeping friend. Now that he was reassured that Tails was safe and sound, the hedgehog sighed before rushing out of the Central Tower.

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I've probably said this too many times, or I haven't clarified it publicly. One of my biggest gripes with the Sonic franchise is that the characterization for some of the main cast has taken a step back; Tails is the key name, and I could point out a few more._

 _One purpose of this chapter is to highlight how Sonic can be more than cocky or annoyed. I've read many stories where he was compassionate with his friends, especially Tails, that you can **feel** the emotions. I've planned to have a conversation between these two from the very beginning, and I wanted to do Sonic justice by making him sound heartfelt. This is mostly because it's one of his traits from the get-go. The problem is that it's hardly shown in the games for a long time._

 _Although I made Tails sound like a depressing character, I had to put myself in his shoes on how he would respond to all this drama. Guilt is the most prominent emotion that I focused on. I tried not to make him negative the entire time._

 _To quickly wrap things up, we'll see how the war progresses in the next one. Hopefully, Tails will be better soon while Sonic prays for him. Follow/favorite RR for more updates, review down below on your thoughts/opinions, and I'll see you all in Ch. 38. This is TGN, signing off._

* * *

 ** _Post-Chapter Notes:_**

 ** _(1):_** _Final Judgement will take place with the OCs and the main cast besides Sonic, just to give them another turn in the spotlight._

 ** _(2):_** _This was my attempt of incorporating certain lines from Crush 40's 'Live and Learn'. I thought the lyrics were relatable to Sonic and Tails' dilemma._


	38. Ch 38: Not Over Yet

_A/N: What a perfect time for me to get sick, huh? Damn you, winter..._

 _It's been a while yet again, but I want to thank everyone for making it this far as we're getting closer to the conclusion of Revengeful Resistance. To TurquoiseTriangle, Golden Eye, SpiderDom321, SharpDragonKlaw, TheLostEternity, Infinite's Ruby, Alexandria Prime, Leodragon678, Oderus, Tiger of Darkness, and Guest, it made my day when I saw your comments on Sonic and Tails' official reunion. I'm also thankful to everyone else for reaching **35,000+ views** and **60+ followers** on this project._

 _(And for those interested in the Q &A, it is posted down below!)_

* * *

 _Disclaimer: Sonic will never be owned by me; not the series, the games, or even the revised design for the movie._

* * *

 **Chapter 38:** Not Over Yet

At this moment, Sonic was looking after Tails since the latter was taken down with the Phantom Ruby. Savage and Raff, who helped the hedgehog in that fracas, found an electronic gate that led to the depths of Eggman's fortified lair. Conveniently, their friends were nearby.

"Savage! Raff!" Knuckles called from afar.

"Commander! You caught up to us!" Savage smiled.

"This should be where the ruby's energy source went to!" Raff pointed at the underground entrance. "I was able to disable the security lock, so we can head down now!"

"Nice work, you two!" Blaze commended.

"Any news on Sonic or Tails?" Amy was anxiously curious.

"Not at the moment," the teenage wolf sighed. "We can only hope Tails will stay alive despite what Raff mentioned to us."

"I did say there was a high probability he might not make it. But I didn't say it was guaranteed."

"We got to leave that aside for now," said Shadow. "The world is not going to be saved if we keep standing here."

"He's right," Silver concurred. "Sonic, Tails, and everyone else – including us – will be dead if we don't shut down the reactor quickly."

"Sensors indicate the Phantom Ruby's energy. Signals point to a room hidden deep in the underground shaft. Objective is to evade the defense system and detonate the apparatus!" Omega reported.

"You heard the robot! Let's finish the war once and for all!" Vector pumped his fist.

"For the fate of Mobius!" Charmy mirrored the crocodile's gesture.

Everyone was designated into teams. He assigned Amy, Team Dark, and himself to lead the charge and focus on any robots that come their way. Silver, Blaze, and the Chaotix were appointed to protect the Wolf brothers if any enemies appear from behind. For Savage and Raff, they were also told to watch their backs as they were in the middle. Their primary goal was to reach the reactor first and figure out how to eliminate the last of the ruby's powers. As everyone was on board, they opened the gate and descended the gargantuan hallway.

"This isn't any normal underground passage," observed Espio. "It leads us straight down; literally, it's an undefined slope!"

Blaze heard something from behind. She saw them fly in front of the leading team. "Aero-Chasers! They're heading for you guys up ahead!" the feline shouted.

"Watch out for their lasers!" warned Rouge as she sidestepped to her right. Everyone had to maneuver carefully without bumping into each other. Shadow jumped up and used his momentum to crash into one of the robots.

"Omega! Take down the ones on the right!"

"Affirmative! Targets locked!" He proceeded to blow up two of them as their bodies deteriorated.

"Careful! I can see gigantic saws!" Raff told everyone.

"Geez, this defense system is really chaotic. It'd be hard to break through by normal means!" Savage rasped as he grabbed his brother and slid across the road with his grappling hook, dodging all the saws.

"If Sonic were here, he'd say something that we're not normal or something like that. We can't afford to give up!" Knuckles' eyes lit up with determination.

A new mass of Aero-Chasers hovered above them. Amy brought out her Piko Piko Hammer and slammed one enemy right into another. Both of their bodies dropped to the very bottom. The rearmost team noticed the pattern of lasers shot by the remaining robots, causing them to spread out. Silver used his powers to freeze one of them, allowing Blaze to throw a fire pellet. Vector punched a different Chaser before whacking it with his tail. Espio threw a shuriken at the last foe to pierce the blasters. When the robot was paralyzed, Charmy zoomed over and stung it in the core.

"Get ready to jump, guys!" the pink hedgehog yelled. The Resistance leaped over a speed ramp and saw two tunnels in the distance.

"Silver! Take your team to the left side! We'll take the right!" Knuckles ordered.

"You got it!"

"Which way are we going?" Raff questioned.

Savage looked over and saw a set of rails that was far from the others. "We're taking an unconventional route. Hang on, little bro!" he shot his hook to the wall and swung over.

"What? Whoa!"

"Commander! We're taking a separate path down the shaft!" he reported through his communicator.

"Whatever works for you. All that matters is finding the reactor!"

Raff and Savage were able to land on the outer grind rails. Sparks started flying from their shoes as they rode along the path. To their surprise, they saw the middle one get electrified with a red beam. The younger wolf noticed the same thing happening on their rails as they glowed orange.

"Savage! Jump to the middle!"

He got the message as they both avoided the electricity. The wolves alternated back and forth until they merged into a single, purple grind rail.

"Good eye there, dude! Let's keep rolling!"

Meanwhile, Knuckles' group ran down another steep slope. The path was guarded by an army Buzz Bombers and a pattern of walls obstructing the ends or the center, similar to the saws they evaded earlier. The robotic bees tried stinging the heroes as a distraction. Plus, the barriers were impenetrable since Omega's lasers or cannons couldn't obliterate them.

"Keep your eyes peeled! Unless one of us wants a face full of metal, we have to avoid these insects and sway around the walls!" Shadow grunted before he spin dashed a Buzz Bomber.

"Knuckles! Look out!" Rouge dove towards the leader to push him away from the stinger. Although the echidna nearly lost his footing, he realized why she did that.

"Could've warned me a bit earlier, but thanks!"

Speeding down the ramp was not as easy as the first section. Still, the team finished off the rest of the Buzz Bombers and dodged the barricades. Thankfully, the slope became flat for the team to rest a little. Their hearts thumped like metronomes moving at the fastest tempo. But they all knew they couldn't waste more than a few seconds. Knuckles, Amy, and Team Dark sprinted over to an adjacent ramp, sending them deeper into the dungeon.

In the other tunnel, Silver, Blaze, and the Chaotix had come across another set of blades, lingering like predators as they awaited their prey to be thrashed. As they got closer, they rushed from side-to-side to avoid the sharp objects. Behind the blades was a legion of Nebulas.

Espio was the first to react as he performed a spin dash. "These guys aren't as threatening as the Aero-Chasers, but we can't keep our guards down! Keep moving forward and don't let them distract you!"

"Blaze, let's take this side of the ramp," Silver directed them to the right.

"Okay! Vector, can you and your team take the left half?"

"Can do!" he gave a thumbs-up.

Silver used his powers to control a Nebula and crash into the one beside it. Blaze threw several flames at a pair and followed up with successive kicks. Avoiding the debris, the hedgehog and the cat gave each other a high-five as they cleared their side. Vector watched Charmy create a ramp with a Whirlwind. He hopped on top and used his body weight to crush the Badniks onto the incline. Espio fought two more Nebulas with his Leaf Swirl, spinning them inside a tornado of leaves before trashing them completely.

"Are all the bad guys taken care of?" Charmy wondered.

"I think the coast is clear," Silver inspected.

"Guys! Up ahead! We're gonna have to jump off another ramp!" Blaze alerted.

The five maintained their downhill speed until they reached the edge. Soaring off the panel, they fell deeper into the shaft until they landed in a room colored in purple and green. From there, they saw the other members fall down onto the border that surrounded the heart of the reactor. They were segregated by some clear capsules, each containing a Phantom Ruby prototype inside.

"Hey, the gang's all here!" Knuckles smirked. "Convenient how we all made it here at the same time!"

"Wow, even though we destroyed the ruby in Tails' body, we got these things blocking our way!" Savage complained.

"These must be more of the prototype copies Eggman produced. I bet the remaining energy was sent here! If we can break through these tubes, we can destroy these rubies as well to cut off the power supply!" Raff deduced.

"Sounds legit to me!" said Silver.

Before anyone could proceed, several Badniks appeared to defend the caged rubies.

"Ugh! We don't have time for more useless fights! We need to end this war now!" Shadow implemented his Chaos Spear, shocking a line of Egg Pawns. Rouge went the other direction and used a Black Wave to stymie the enemies with a set of ripples.

As if things couldn't be more difficult, several drones spun around the helix structure.

"Looks like we're playing some jump rope as well!" Vector hopped over the laser before smashing a Buzz Bomber in the eyes.

"Raff! Spin dash the tube over there! I'll fire these Badniks up!" Savage ordered.

"You got it, bro!"

As Raff ran ahead and dodged the band of Egg Pawns, the older wolf charged his Wispon and blazed them with a streak of fire. He ran forward to get the other Badniks near the capsule, giving a clear path for Raff. The red rookie concentrated as he jumped up and did a homing attack in the middle. After three spin dashes, the ruby prototype and the tube shattered.

"One down! Two to go!"

Knuckles soared with his fists extended as he annihilated two rows of Moto Bugs. Amy backed her partner as she crushed a few Buzz Bombers into the capsule. Several cracks were formed, but it wasn't enough. Omega finished the job by blasting two lasers at the barrier, eradicating the second ruby. The reactor in the middle exploded as well.

"Down to the final prototype! Must obliterate immediately!"

"We're getting close to victory! I can almost taste it!" the Commander grinned.

Silver tactfully carried Blaze with his psychokinesis so neither of them could get blasted by the lasers. But they had to get some assistance from Charmy, Espio, and Vector as the trio wiped out the Buzz Bombers near them. The feline summoned a large fireball, mustering with all her strength.

"Hurry, Blaze!" Silver yelled.

"HI-YA!" she hurled the flame. By then, the final ruby was gone, abolishing the remnants of its power. The reactor blew up a third time, and all the lasers were deactivated. However, the entire place started to shake violently.

"Uh oh! We gotta get out of here quickly!" Knuckles' eyes widened.

Amy found an emergency button on the wall and whacked it with her hammer. An automatic door opened up. "This way! I found an exit!"

"Women and children first!" Charmy screamed at the top of his lungs.

"You heard the bee! Let's move it!" Rouge went ahead with the others rushing behind.

Although they were sprinting as fast as they could, they heard the explosion from the reactor's core. Seconds later, Knuckles and Shadow looked back to see a large, white light started to catch up to them.

"Even with my speed, it'll be difficult to outrun it!" said the ebony hedgehog.

"Just keep going!" shouted Knuckles.

"We'll never make it out in time!" Raff didn't have much confidence.

"Oh yes, we will! We're going to have to double boost through this tunnel!" Savage told him.

"Can we even do that?!" Blaze had her doubts.

"We got no other choice! Pick a partner, and let's get the hell out of here!"

Taking his big brother's advice, Raff grabbed Savage's hand and grasped it tightly. Nodding to each other, they spun into balls and dashed at supersonic speed. The others didn't stop or argue as they repeated their technique.

Following the Wolf brothers were Silver and Blaze.

Behind them were Omega and Vector.

Then Espio and Charmy.

Rouge and Shadow.

Lastly, Amy and Knuckles.

The pairs broke through at high velocities to outpace the white light. Eventually, all twelve members shot up through the ground as the blast sent them flying high through the Empire Fortress.

* * *

Sonic reached a barren cliffside where he noticed the rest of the Resistance in the distance. Chaos, Cole, Collar, and Spot were leading the way. Soon, his eyes enlarged when he heard a detonation in the distance. At the same time, he barely saw Infinite's clones stop in the middle of the battle. Then, to his surprise, the duplicates began to fade away. One by one, clones of Zavok, Chaos, Shadow, and all his friends started to disappear. Even the real Metal Sonic was subdued when his CPU shut down.

"No way... Did they actually get rid of the Phantom Ruby's power?"

Apparently, his question was answered when he heard the cheers and screams from across the valley. They were all safe. They celebrated as the clones were truly gone.

His lips curved up into a smile. "They did it. They really did it!"

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog turned around and looked up when he heard Amy. He became shocked to see her and the rest of his friends in the sky, successfully escaping the explosion. Sonic soon realized they were plummeting to the ground, and he rushed over to catch the pink hedgehog.

"Oh! Thank you, Son-"

"Hold that thought, Ames!" he quickly set her down before catching Blaze, Raff, Savage, and Shadow. He received a hard glare from his dark-furred counterpart, to which Sonic shrugged with a cheeky grin. Rouge and Charmy were able to slow down with their wings while Silver prevented the others from crashing.

"Well, that was a close call... if you would consider that," Knuckles swept the dust off his body.

"I'm just glad to see all of you here! Did you disable the reactor?"

"We sure did!" Raff smiled.

Sonic gave him a fist bump. "Sick! Thanks to you, the Resistance down there doesn't have to worry about the clones!"

To be safe, the Commander got a hold of Spot down at the battleground. After a few seconds, he gave his team the word.

"It's official. Infinite's clones and Eggman's army have been defeated. We finally achieved victory!"

Cheers roared from the Chaotix. Silver and Blaze celebrated with a hug. Shadow crossed his arms, but he smirked while giving an approving nod. Rouge clapped while Omega clenched a claw in satisfaction. Raff jumped into Savage's arms as the brothers shared a laugh.

Amy, on the other hand, laid a hand on Sonic's shoulder. The Blue Blur turned to her, expecting her to be squeezed by an embrace. Instead, she asked, "How is Tails doing? Is he okay?"

Sonic gave a small smile before replying confidently. "He's alive."

Her emerald eyes beamed. "Oh my goodness. That's wonderful!"

"Yeah. He's currently resting in the Central Tower. It took a while to get accustomed after our battle, but he's okay. I couldn't ask for more."

"You did well, Sonic. I'm relieved that you two are together again." She then wrapped her arms around her hero. For Sonic, he appreciated the support. His smirk grew larger as he returned the hug. After they released, Knuckles, Savage, and Raff approached the hedgehogs.

"We couldn't help since we barely heard you. You said Tails is alive?" asked Savage.

"He sure is, buddy. Alive and well."

"That's wonderful, Sonic!" Raff responded.

"We kinda had a long talk that got too personal. But in the end, the epic, phenomenal duo of Sonic and Tails is back in action! Well, at least until he's healthy again."

"Nevertheless, it's great that he's safe and sound. I wouldn't know what to do if he was truly gone."

"Neither do I, Knux. It'll take a very long time for him to heal, that's for sure. Still, Eggman got his butt kicked! So that means-"

Suddenly, the ground began to quake vehemently. Everyone started to lose their balance.

"Huh?! W-What's that shaking?!" Silver stammered.

"I-I don't know! Is it an earthquake?!" Blaze assumed.

"If it is one, the magnitude is through the fricking roof!" Vector eventually fell backward alongside Espio.

"Where's it even coming from?!" Rouge looked around.

Savage was the first to see something emerge behind the cliff. Once it came into view, he was flabbergasted. "Oh, fucking hell..."

Raff, Sonic, Knuckles, and the team gasped when they rotated around and saw a massive android floating several feet in front of them. It was a Death Egg Sentinel with tons of mechanical arms, a force field of glass blocking its core, a humongous tail, and several cannons controlled by Orbot and Cubot. Although they couldn't be seen, both of them were quiet and apprehensive. Inside the cockpit was none other than the evil mastermind.

"Surprise, you little twerps! I bet you didn't see _this_ coming, did ya?!" Eggman's voice echoed from the robot's speakers.

"Ugh, can't we ever just win and have that be the end of it?! This war is already exhausting, and I just got my best friend back!" Sonic groaned.

"That little punk of yours is nothing but a total nuisance, even when he was my little pet! For months, he would go on and on about my failures. He especially chastised me for keeping you alive in the Death Egg when I could've been relentless and shoot your damn body into the depths of dark matter!"

"How many times are you going to bring this up? You sound like my shitty geometry teacher trying to make us understand the Pythagorean Theorem," Savage muttered.

"Quiet, you amateur!"

"Hey! That's my big brother you're speaking to!" Raff narrowed his eyes.

"Like I even care! If anything, you should've been dead in my space prison as well!"

"You motherfucker!" Savage dashed forward and tried to attack the glass barrier of the gigantic mech. Eggman scoffed and slammed the orange rookie with one of the robotic tentacles.

"Savage!" Raff and Sonic ran over to him. They helped him up before they turned to the robot with cold glares.

"A true winner always keeps his trump card hidden until the end," Eggman sneered. "Feast your eyes on my most powerful weapon yet – it's even better than Infinite! Introducing my Ultimate Death Egg Robot! This version is more souped-up and powerful than the ones in Red Gate, and I'm going to pummel you like a worn-out punching bag! It's all thanks to the Phantom Ruby!"

"For the record, we're not really responsible for this," Orbot defended.

"This is our job after all! Whatever the doctor says, we have to follow!" Cubot yelled.

"I don't get it. This doesn't make any sense! We already destroyed the reactor from underground!" Raff testified. "The Phantom Ruby's energy should've been gone for good this time!"

"Tsk, tsk, Wreck-It Raff. You think you're just smart as that two-tailed freak. But guess what, little nerd, I have another important detail I want to share with you nosy chumps. The fortress reactor was simply a decoy! It was as fake as those Phantom Ruby prototypes you destroyed in the process!"

"Commander! Sonic! There's an emergency!" Spot abruptly shouted from the communicator.

"What the heck happened?! You told us the Phantom Ruby's power was no more!" Collar growled.

"The army of clones is back again!" Cole panicked.

Knuckles was baffled that he couldn't respond. He can only shake his head in disbelief. Neither did the others believe this was true. It felt like a Virtual Reality nightmare.

How ironic.

"What did you do?!" Sonic snarled at the madman.

"It's quite simple! Although I created multiple prototypes to test out the ruby's potential, I drained out a good chunk of the energy and saved it for this special Death Egg Robot! Even with Tails possessing the real ruby and forcing everyone to experience the pain and suffering of Virtual Reality, he still wouldn't match the strength of my immense creation! Now that little punk is weaker than he used to be, and he deserves it after failing to exceed my expectations."

"You..." the cobalt hero breathed unevenly with pure ire. "How _dare_ you?!" his voice croaked.

"Mwahahaha! Foolish Sonic! I only wanted to make your little sidekick useful for a change. You should be thanking me instead! However, watching him cower in fear when you're busy fighting me feels like a lazy, stand-up comedy act. It was only fair to let him prove that he has some kind of value. Alas, I was wrong. He's totally not worth my time, and he's certainly not worth yours, either."

"Stop talking about Tails like that!" Amy threatened, pulling out her mallet. "He's been vital to our team since the beginning! All you did was torture with his mind! Even worse, you enslaved him!"

"All of that is irrelevant now. Despite the fact that he's no longer Infinite or obeying my orders, I have surpassed the little mutant to become the complete and ultimate lifeform!"

"Pfft, I'd like to know your location. Oh, wait. You're right here, waiting to lose pathetically and in misery," Shadow snarled.

"Don't be so overconfident, you little runt of an experiment."

"Says the dipshit who's boastful about his big-ass robot," Savage rolled his eyes.

"Enough talking! I hope you're ready for your impending death for real, Sonic! You and your pathetic friends will be crushed by my Ultimate Death Egg Robot and the conserved power of the Phantom Ruby! The world will be mine yet again!"

A red wave blasted throughout the desolate mountainside, startling Sonic and the team. The hedgehog tried to regain his confidence. Yet facing another dilemma of Eggman's pushed him to the breaking point. He couldn't think of a serious or witty comeback. Fear cracked through his fur and skin. His muscles stiffened like bricks. Albeit, he thought his body was going to crumble like a brittle cookie.

His friends worked so hard to get him back and reconquer the zones throughout Mobius.

He even managed to save Tails.

The fox overcame the odds of survival.

They were _so_ close to officially ending this war.

But every time he had his hopes high, they instantly vanished.

Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot began charging up the robot's cannons, but they didn't notice a shuttle flying toward the cliff's edge. From there, several lasers fired directly at the armor. The three flailed their arms and screamed as the mech rumbled.

"What was that?!" Cubot got a hold of the control panel.

"It appears that someone is shooting fire at us!" Orbot replied.

"What?! What do you mean?!" Eggman slammed his fists as he searched for the culprit. He quickly shrieked when he saw more lasers hitting the sentinel's core. After several more shots, the cracked marks stretched out until they reached the edge of the blockade. The glass immediately shattered as thousands of broken pieces fell into the pit below.

"Who's controlling the shuttle up there?" questioned Espio.

"It can't be Spot or any of the squad leaders," Knuckles shook his head.

"Could it be Greg and Delilah with the medics?" Charmy thought.

"They may be certified nurses, but I don't think they're knowledgeable on firing weapons from an airship," doubted Raff.

"Then who could it be?" Savage also had no clue.

Squinting his eyes, Sonic barely caught a glimpse at a figure jumping out the door. Seconds of free-falling elapsed until the person was clearly visible for the Blue Blur to see.

Sonic's jaw dropped.

Everyone else was flabbergasted.

Even Eggman and his assistants were dumbstruck.

The person who shot those lasers from the shuttle was also holding two guns in his hands. He pulled the triggers to send more firepower at the Death Egg Robot, stunning the doctor and his henchmen. He landed safely to the ground, however, thanks to his prominent, physical trait. Spinning the weapons in his hands and holstering them to his new utility belt, he faced the Resistance members. Sonic, who ambled to the front of the pack, could've sworn a teardrop escaped his eye.

"Tails..."

 ** _END OF CHAPTER_**

* * *

 _I couldn't think of anything to reference or explain, so there isn't a PCN section for this chapter. Not only that, I'm starting to think that I should exclude it permanently for all my stories moving forward. I'm too lazy to clear out everything from the past, so that'll stay the same._

 _Regardless, we are approaching the end of this story. Dr. Eggman and his large Death Egg Robot are hungry for world domination. But Sonic and his friends have a new, yet familiar, face to join their Resistance and participate in the final battle. Unless you guys are willing to continue down for my responses in the Q &A, I will see you in the next chapter of Revengeful Resistance! Please review down below and follow/favorite the story so you won't miss the following update! Here's to 2020!_

* * *

 **~Q &A~**

 _Hey, you made it here! Just so you know, all the questions are cumulative. For those that are slightly similar, I combined them to make things easier. I also tried to put them in a cohesive order where some topics are related to the previous question(s). Lastly, if you've already read these responses, it's **not** necessary to reread everything on a different story!_

 **What inspired you to write fanfiction in the first place? / In the beginning, what made you want to start writing?  
** _I came across a story called Mario & Sonic: Heroes Unite! by Azurixx, a few crossovers by my friend, FairyTalePrincess16, and other great fanfics in the gaming community (Mario, Sonic, Legend of Zelda, etc.) For some reason, Mario and Sonic fanfics appealed to me more, and that's why I was inspired to make an account and begin writing._

 **How did you set up Hidden Bravery since that was your first story?  
** _Luigi is my favorite character, so I wanted him to be the main hero. The initial approach was to create a Mario & Sonic crossover that combined elements of the Chaos Emeralds, the Chaos Heart from Super Paper Mario, and the Dark Moon. I brought back certain characters such as the Possessor Ghosts, Blumiere, and Timpani. And of course, I wanted the Sonic team to join the adventure as well. It's not a very polished story, but I tried my best since I was new to writing fanfiction._

 **Did Super Mario Bros Z, or any fan animated sprites on YouTube, inspired you to write this fic ( New Brotherhood)?  
** _Not really. Azurixx's story that I mentioned above was one of the main reasons why I was motivated to create an M &S crossover. However, I did watch that series._

 **Have you ever thought of making your own original stories aside from just Fanfiction?  
** _I don't think I'm creative to come up with original character designs or names. Plots are something I can work around as long as I have an idea of the characters' purpose. But I've usually stuck with Mario-related stuff since I'm familiar with the content._

 **Are you going to write a Pokémon story?  
** _Frankly, I haven't watched or played a lot of Pokémon, so I don't know what the first thing I would do to write one. In short, I likely won't. Sorry!_

 **What was the first fanfiction you read on this website? How did you discover it?  
** _I can't remember the very first thing I read since it was an incomplete fanfic and not very memorable. But the one I thoroughly read from start to end was Homeless Two Tail by Green Raccoon. I found it because I was interested in the lore of how Tails and Sonic became friends and surrogate brothers. This is one of the fanfictions that epitomizes it._

 **What do you like most about Luigi?  
** _As I said earlier, he's my favorite character. I feel like I'm relatable to him in a few ways. I'm the younger sibling in my family's generation. I tend to be very clumsy and shy of almost everything, too. He feels like a realistic person, but he's also a loyal, dependable hero. I give credit to Nintendo for adding some depth to his character since Luigi's Mansion._

 **What was the first Mario game you ever played?  
** _Mario Superstar Baseball_ _. Because I love baseball as a kid, I discovered it from a game demo in a K-Mart back in 2005. (Yeah, a **K-Mart** of all places...) It was the reason why I asked my parents for a GameCube. Now I wish they can create a Mario Baseball game for the Switch._

 **How did you discover Super Mario?  
** _The answer to the last question technically ties to this one, too. But for extra detail, I grew up with that game and Super Mario Sunshine. Aside from a few more GameCube titles, I was interested in games for the DS and Wii such as New Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Galaxy, and more._

 **What's your favorite Mario game of all-time including spinoffs? / What's your favorite game in general?  
** _My favorite Mario game is Super Mario Odyssey. (Galaxy is a very close second.) Breath of the Wild is another fantastic game in general, too. I'm excited for the sequel!_

 **Out of all the Mario Kart games, which one would you say is your favorite overall?  
** _My personal favorite is Double Dash! It was the first Mario Kart title I played and grew up with, and it was the series that got me to practice a lot that I became good at it._

 **Since you love Mario Kart, what's your personal favorite track out of all of them?  
** _This one was tough to answer, but I'd say my #1 favorite is Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii._

 **What's your least favorite/most hated course in Mario Kart?  
** _The dishonorable award goes to Broken Pier from Super Circuit because it's the one course I always struggled with when playing Grand Prix. (Because of these questions, I have done a few edits on my lists for favorite and least favorite tracks. There wasn't much rearranging, but nonetheless...)_

 **Who is your favorite Boss Ghost of Luigi's Mansion 3?  
** _Morty, because he has unique dialogue and he's pretty much the only amiable ghost in the game. Ironically, this is coming from someone who betrayed him and sucked him up without letting him finish his movie... Oops._

 _Hellen and Kruller are some honorable mentions. Frankly, I hope either one or all of them appear in future Mario games._

 **Out of all the floors in LM3, which one is your least favorite?  
** _Hands down, the Boilerworks. There's no debate. And the fact that you have to explore that area **twice** made me want to die on the inside. Even one of my best friends loathed that level with a passion._

 **What do you think is the best Luigi's Mansion game?  
** _I would give LM3 the edge here. I love how Nintendo and Next Level made all the characters expressive, most notably Luigi, Mario, King Boo, and Polterpup. They combined certain elements from the previous entries which makes it satisfying. I finished the story mode in about twenty hours, so it was pretty solid. I kind of wished it had more replay value, but it was worth the experience. (The original is just as good though.)_

 **How do you feel about the Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi games?  
** _Buckle up, because I'm going to explain my complicated passion for the series and the games. (It'll be very long.) As a side note, I played the M&L series in order, but Paper Mario was not chronological._

 _Paper Mario 64_ _\- It was the fourth PM title I played since I never owned an N64, but it's my second-favorite overall. I think Chapter 3 was the best in my opinion.  
_ _The Thousand-Year Door_ _\- First game I've played of the series. I thought it was a nearly flawless masterpiece. Chapters 3 and 6 are my favorites.  
_ _Super Paper Mario_ _\- I understand why people hated the game due to the lack of RPG elements and an overworld hub of the game. But the dialogue is just as good, Mr. L was a surprise, and the story has the deepest plot out of all of them. I enjoyed it.  
_ _Sticker Star_ _\- Not gonna lie, I didn't mind the game at all when I initially played it. Only in 2014 did I realize how bland the characters, dialogue, and setup was throughout the whole thing and why so many people despised it.  
_ _Color Splash_ _\- I was able to play it a few months ago, and it's better than SS with decent dialogue. But yeah, it's kind of a rehash that not even the color can revive the series as of today.  
_ _Superstar Saga_ _\- I loved this game to death. Great music, nice battle themes, interesting characters and villains, funny expressions. But I never bothered buying the 3DS remake.  
_ _Partners in Time_ _\- Hearing the babies cry can be irritating, but I enjoyed the puzzles and battle techniques with the adult and infant brothers combined. Very underrated game, in my opinion.  
_ _Bowser's Inside Story_ _\- If I never played this, Superstar Saga would be my favorite of the series. Having Bowser as a protagonist while being unaware of Mario and Luigi's roles added a lot of depth to the story and the gameplay, especially the Giant Bowser battles. Starlow can screw off though. I also didn't care about the 3DS version.  
_ _Dream Team_ _\- I'm a fan of Luigi, but bias aside, this one was decent; just not fantastic. The transition to 3D took a while for me to handle, and some of Pi'illo challenges were lackluster or tedious. It still has some charm and interesting concepts with Dreamy Luigi, especially Dream's Deep. 'Never Let Up!' is my favorite boss theme of the series. The Giant Luigi battles were either okay or meh. I still hate Starlow.  
_ _Paper Jam_ _\- Sadly, it's a disappointment for a crossover that no one anticipated in the first place. Very cookie-cutter, the objective and story are as basic as you expect, bosses are not unique, the Paper Toads can go shred themselves, not much else stands out. Starlow acknowledged the Year of Luigi, but that's not enough for me to change my mind about her._

 _Finally, I was shocked to hear that AlphaDream filed for bankruptcy a few months ago. I'll never forget how memorable the M&L series was when I got to play the earlier titles. The first two Paper Mario titles were exceptionally beautiful in their own ways while SPM was respectable in my books. I can only hope that things can turn around for the better._

 **Which Sonic character do you think should be next in getting their own spinoff game and why?  
** _Besides the ones who already have at least one spinoff title, maybe the most deserving would be Amy. She's been a main staple in the Sonic cast, and I think she seems a lot more mature since the Sonic Boom series. Amy is still herself whenever she pines for Sonic, but she doesn't frequently express it in an immature and annoying way like usual. She seems capable to take on a lead role._

 **What would Savage and Raff from Revengeful Resistance look like as humans? What real-world names should they have instead of their current ones?  
** _I've seen a few stories where some anthropomorphic characters are transformed into humans and vice versa. To answer your question though, Savage's eyes would be the same, and he'd wear glasses, too. He'd probably be under 6 feet tall, have a blonde mohawk, and wear T-shirts, shorts, and the sneakers I described in his debut. However, I'd probably change his name to Cole (despite using that name for a minor character.) Raff's name would change to Ralph because of how close it sounds. He'd be about 4 ½ feet tall with short, dark brown hair, a sweater, jeans, and his own sneakers._

 _And that's all the questions! Special thanks to Crystal Rose of Pollux, The Sensational SpiderDom321, Infinite's Ruby, SharpDragonKlaw, Oderus, TAWOGfan2000, XIII Hearts, FireFlamerx9z, dbot, TurquoiseTriangle, IanAlphaAxel, The Disney Critic Gal, Golden Eye, TheWriter946, Q, and Guest for participating! Here's to 2020 and another year of writing! This is TGN, signing off._


	39. Update (Bad News)

I didn't want to make another update, but I feel like this should be necessary as much as I don't want to talk about it.

Here's the bad news. My laptop screen cracked. I don't know what caused it, but the entire top-left corner is glitched out with several lines cracked along the top and middle of the screen. And I use my laptop to write my stories.

There's the problem.

I need to see if I can get my laptop fixed or if my insurance can cover it. The worst case scenario is that I might need a new one. Because of this, I saved and sent my Word Documents to my email to keep them elsewhere. (I've also kept them in Google Docs as a backup.) So long as I don't lose my stories, I don't have to make up a lot of work. Unfortunately, I don't have another personal computer/laptop to write on, and I hope I don't have to rewrite EVERYTHING.

I'm really mad at myself, and I hate to share this with you guys. But all of my stories will be on hiatus yet again until I can resolve my issue. I'm terribly sorry to discuss about this. For now, my laptop still works. It's the cracked screen that's going to bother me...

As always, don't leave a review on this update because I'm going to delete it later. Only message me through PM's. I hope to see you all soon.

~TheGameNguyener (TGN)


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